Xi: Brunei ties a model of successful relations

Omar Ali Saifuddien in Brunei. [Photo/IC]

President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the China-Brunei relationship has become a model for equal treatment and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes as he exchanged congratulatory messages with Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In his message, Xi said that over the past three decades, bilateral ties have seen sound and rapid development as the countries' mutual political trust keeps increasing and cooperation in all areas continues to deepen.

China and Brunei have also maintained close communication and coordination in regional and international issues, he said.

After the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Xi said, the two countries have assisted each other to jointly overcome the current difficulties, thus writing a new chapter in their bilateral friendship.

The Chinese president noted that he highly values developing China's relations with the Southeast Asian country and said he stands ready to work with Hassanal to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary to strengthen strategic communication.

Xi said he will also work with Hassanal to deepen bilateral cooperation on fighting the pandemic and jointly building the Belt and Road, so as to achieve new progress in the China-Brunei strategic cooperative partnership and bring benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

Hassanal said in his message that China is an important partner of his country and the two countries have made positive progress in bilateral cooperation.

Brunei appreciates the support and assistance China has provided to the country in addressing the pandemic, and it will work with China to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership to serve the two countries and their peoples, he said.

In September, the second shipment of 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by China arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital. In February, China sent a first donated vaccine shipment of 52,000 doses.