On May 14, 2024, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks with Brunei's Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ariwan, in Beijing.
Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, saying that President Xi Jinping has maintained close ties with His Majesty the Sultan, established a deep friendship, and provided important strategic guidance for bilateral relations. Under the leadership of the two heads of state, Chinese relations have maintained a steady momentum of development, achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, and are committed to building a model of equal treatment and mutual benefit and win-win results for countries large and small. We are willing to work with the Brunei side to follow the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen the content of cooperation, expand the scope of cooperation, establish the long-term goal of jointly building a community with a shared future for Chinese, and push the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries to a new level.
Wang Yi said that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Brunei's independence. Under the leadership of His Majesty the Sultan, Brunei has adhered to a development path suited to its own national conditions, made remarkable achievements in national construction, and its people have lived and worked in peace and contentment, playing a unique and important role in regional affairs. China is building a new development paradigm and vigorously promoting Chinese-style modernization. China's development and revitalization has a strong endogenous driving force and inevitable historical logic, which will bring new opportunities to neighboring countries, including Brunei. China actively supports Brunei's economic diversification, and is willing to further tap the potential of cooperation in emerging areas such as the digital economy, green development, and health, cultivate new growth points, and create more highlights for cooperation. Taking the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity, the two sides can deepen cooperation in education, cultural tourism, sports, sister cities and other fields, and further facilitate people-to-people exchanges. China supports ASEAN's centrality and strategic autonomy, supports the expansion and strengthening of ASEAN-led cooperation mechanisms, and stands ready to deepen political mutual trust with ASEAN countries, maintain the right direction of East Asian cooperation, jointly promote regional development and safeguard regional stability. We stand ready to work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and strive for an early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Conveying the Sultan of Brunei's sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, Eriwan said that the fruitful meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco at the end of last year provided important guidance and impetus for the development of Brunei and China relations. China is a good friend of Brunei, and the cooperation between the two countries has a solid foundation and is facing new opportunities. Brunei attaches great importance to its relations with China and firmly pursues the one-China policy. We look forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China and strengthening cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, education, artificial intelligence and big data, so as to promote greater development of bilateral relations. The Brunei side firmly believes that China's development and strength is an unstoppable historical process, and is full of confidence in China's economy, and expects and believes that China's development will lead to the common development of countries in the region. He highly appreciates China's adherence to principles, promotion of reconciliation and cooperation, and upholding fairness and justice on hotspot issues such as the Middle East, and looks forward to China's greater influence and leadership in international and regional affairs. Brunei is ready to work closely with China to maintain regional peace and stability and promote common development and prosperity.
The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.