ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) Secretary-General Shi Zhongjun met with Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah during his visit to the Sultanate recently.
Economic cooperation and trade have always been the highlight of ASEAN-China relations, according to the secretary-general.
He said, “Brunei and China have jointly made tangible progress in developing and deepening bilateral economic relations and trade. The full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the progressing negotiations of version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), as well as the implementation of Brunei Vision 2035 will create more opportunities for business communities in the region including Brunei and China.”
The ACC, he said, “Is willing to strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Brunei, support its efforts in promoting the diversification and sustainability of the Bruneian economy, and tap cooperation potentials in emerging industries, so as to contribute more to the well-being of the people in both countries and the region at large”.
Meanwhile, Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew shared that Brunei Darussalam has been actively striving to work closely with China and promote collaboration in the ASEAN region. “Brunei has its own advantages, and looks forward to more opportunities for inclusive collaboration, especially in emerging industries such as green economy and new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturing.
Brunei stands ready to work more closely with the ACC to come up with joint projects, which all ASEAN member states can contribute to and benefit from, and make more efforts to enhance people-to-people exchanges so as to further deepen mutual understanding and promote trade and investment.”
The secretary general also met with Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Brunei President Lim Han Chiong, where they had an in-depth exchange of views on further enhancing trade and investment cooperation between Brunei and China, and agreed to explore future engagement and cooperation. – James Kon
