Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 17 On November 17, on the eve of his state visit to Brunei Darussalam, President Xi Jinping published a signed article entitled "Jointly write a new chapter of China Brunei relations" in Brunei's "Borneo Gazette", "Shihua Daily", "Lianhe Daily" and "Xingzhou Daily". The article is as follows:

Jointly write a new chapter of China Brunei relations

Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

At the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal, I will pay a state visit to Brunei from November 18 to 20. This is my first visit to your country, and I am very happy about this trip.

The name of Brunei means "a peaceful country". It has beautiful natural scenery, rich urban customs, and peaceful social atmosphere, just like the paradise described by Tao Yuanming, an ancient Chinese poet. In recent years, under the excellent leadership of His Majesty the Sudan, Brunei has embarked on a development path that conforms to its national conditions. The country is prosperous and the people live and work in peace and contentment. I sincerely wish Brunei greater development achievements.

Chinese and Chinese are friendly neighbors facing each other across the sea. Brunei has been an important part of the Maritime Silk Road since ancient times. As early as the Western Han Dynasty in China, our ancestors communicated with each other through this maritime link, and wrote a beautiful chapter of mutual understanding and friendship. Zheng He and his fleet passed through Brunei twice, bringing peace and friendship to the local people. They were affectionately called "Marshal Zheng He" by Brunei people. The "Wang Zongbing Road" and Pu Gong Tomb in Bandar Seri Begawan, and the tomb of the Borneo King in Nanjing, China, have witnessed the long history of friendly exchanges between the two countries.

In 1991, China and Brunei officially established diplomatic relations, and the "front line" that has lasted for thousands of years between the two countries was renewed. In the five years since the establishment of the strategic cooperative relationship, the two sides have continuously deepened political mutual trust, steadily promoted practical cooperation, and supported and cooperated with each other in international and regional affairs. The Chinese language relationship has entered the best period in history, and has become a model of equal treatment, mutual benefit and common development for large and small countries.

My initiative to jointly build the "Belt and Road" has received positive response and strong support from Brunei. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the docking of this initiative with Brunei's "2035 Vision", which has injected new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.

This year, bilateral economic and trade cooperation has expanded rapidly. China has become one of Brunei's most important partners. Hengyi Brunei Petrochemical and the "Guangxi Brunei Economic Corridor" two flagship cooperation projects were successfully promoted. The number of Chinese enterprises coming to Brunei for investment and business is increasing, which has played a positive role in the diversified development of Brunei's economy. Chinese enterprises have actively participated in Brunei's infrastructure construction, contracted to build the Damora Island Bridge, the Trisse Lumu Expressway, the East Urududong Dam and other projects, which have improved Brunei's connectivity level and become Brunei's beautiful "China card".

People to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries are increasingly frequent. China is Brunei's largest source country of tourists, and Chinese tourists can be seen from time to time on the streets of Bandar Seri Begawan. The two countries have opened direct flights from Bandar Seri Begawan to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanning and Kunming, setting up an air corridor for personnel exchanges. Nanjing and Sribagawan, as sister cities, frequently move around, and the friendship between the Chinese people and the Chinese people is full of new vitality.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, as well as the fifth anniversary of the proposal to jointly build the "Belt and Road". China will persist in opening up to the outside world, promote the "Belt and Road" to go deeper and more practical, and better benefit the people of countries along the Belt and Road. At present, China and Brunei are respectively in the critical period of achieving the "two centenary goals" and the "2035 ambition". The two sides should deepen understanding, enhance friendship, deepen cooperation, and promote better development of Chinese relations.

——We should enhance political mutual trust. The two sides should plan the development of Chinese language relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, maintain high-level exchanges, enhance political mutual trust, and promote bilateral relations to a new level. The Chinese side respects and firmly supports Brunei's development path in line with its national conditions.

——We should deepen practical cooperation. The two sides should strengthen strategic docking. China is willing to continue to provide assistance for Brunei's economic diversification, build key cooperation projects, and explore cooperation in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and fishery, e-commerce, maritime and other fields. China will encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Brunei and welcome Brunei to expand the export of high-quality products to China.

——We should deepen people to people and cultural exchanges. Both sides should expand exchanges and cooperation in culture, health, education, sports, tourism, human resources training and other fields. We support the airlines of the two countries to open more direct flights, encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Brunei, and welcome more Brunei friends to study, travel and work in China.

——We should strengthen cooperation and cooperation in international and regional affairs. China is willing to work with the Brunei side to promote the in-depth development of China ASEAN cooperation in various fields, accelerate the negotiation process of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, promote the early implementation of the results of the upgrading of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area, and support the Brunei side to play a greater role in the East ASEAN Growth Area. China is willing to work with Brunei to safeguard multilateralism, the international trading system and the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

There is a saying in Brunei: "Without mutual understanding, deep friendship cannot be established." The Chinese say, "The most important thing for people to know is to know each other." We are willing to be good friends and partners for common development with Brunei. I believe that with the joint efforts of the governments and people of the two countries, the Chinese friendly cooperative relations will surely write a better chapter!

People's Daily (November 18, 2018, Version 01)

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