BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Post) – Bilateral trade between Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam reached MYR3.76 billion in 2023, marking a 23.8 per cent increase from MYR3.04 billion in 2022, according to a report from the Borneo Post.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan attributed this growth to the close cooperation between Sarawak and Brunei. “We believe that Sarawak’s close cooperation with Brunei will further increase the value of trade. Therefore, we will intensify our efforts to facilitate trade between Brunei and Sarawak, especially through trade expos,” he quoted a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report.
Awang Tengah, who also serves as the Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development and Minister of International Trade, Industry, and Investment, made these remarks during a dinner with the Sarawak diaspora in Bandar Seri Begawan on Monday evening.
He highlighted the development of the Northern Coastal Highway (NCH), which will be integrated with Brunei’s road network, as a key infrastructure project to boost trade and investment between the two regions. “The Sarawak government will also strengthen cooperation in telecommunications to provide connectivity at the border entrance,” he added.
Charge d’Affaires (ad interim) of the High Commission of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam, Nur Ezira Mahadi, noted in her speech that Brunei was Malaysia’s 30th largest global trading partner in 2023, with total bilateral trade reaching nearly MYR10 billion. She welcomed the opening of the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Brunei (Statob) this year, anticipating it will further enhance economic cooperation between Brunei and Sarawak.
The event, held at the High Commission of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam, was graced by Sarawak Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife, Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi. Also present was Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki.
