Yang Jian
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei
Diplomacy / Brunei Darussalam
Brunei can serve as “natural linkage” on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road
The Business Report speaks with Her Excellency Yang Jian, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam, about entering an era of greater economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two nations.
Your Excellency, the year 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of bilateral relations between the People’s Republic of China and Brunei Darussalam. What is the economic and diplomatic significance of this historical occasion?
The history of friendship between China and Brunei started more than 1,000 years ago, since China’s Song Dynasty or even earlier. Marking the 25th Anniversary of China-Brunei diplomatic relationship, 2016 is set to witness greater exchange of high-level visits, new progress in economic cooperation, and vigorous growth of people-to-people exchanges. Particularly, we are ready to continue our efforts to support Brunei’s economic diversification endeavors, and help Brunei to translate its potential into development advantages in realizing the Wawasan (Vision) 2035 through closer cooperation in agricultural, fishery, tourism, petrochemical, infrastructure and other fields.
The year 2016 also marks the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Dialogue. How is China’s bilateral relationship with Brunei Darussalam set to develop in this geopolitical context?
The China-ASEAN Relationship has made great strides during the past 25 years. ASEAN countries constitute an important part of China’s neighborhood. Without a stable and friendly neighborhood, it will be difficult for China to achieve its national rejuvenation plans. The 25th Anniversary will be a new starting point, for the China-ASEAN and China-Brunei relationships to march forward.
The Brunei-Guangxi Economic Corridor is positioned to establish Brunei as an export hub to the People’s Republic of China. Can Your Excellency tell the China Daily what the official economic strategy of this collaboration is?
During the 11th China-ASEAN Expo in 2014, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China and the Brunei government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Brunei-Guangxi Economic Corridor, an economic cooperative initiative to promote the development of Guangxi as well as Brunei. The fields of cooperation will cover agriculture, fishery, halal food processing, infrastructure building, shipping, tourism, and others. We hope to increase exports of Brunei through cooperation. The exports may go to China, but more probably to other places. The Corridor is not an exclusive bilateral cooperation. In fact, we hope to attract third party investments. The Corridor is also a major project that could merge into the “Belt and Road” initiative.
The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is the largest initiative in economic diplomacy since the US-led Marshall Plan. What direct economic impact will this initiative have for Brunei Darussalam?
I see a big difference between the Marshall Plan and the initiative of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Marshall Plan was more a project of aid. But the initiative of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is focused on win-win cooperation and common development. China is still a developing country with a per capita GDP ranking around the 80th in the world. China has its strengths, as well as its weaknesses, just like any other country.
Talking about Brunei, historically, it was a trade hub. So it could serve as a natural linkage on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Geographically, Brunei is the center of BIMP-EAGA, an area that has great potential for development. By making joint efforts with Brunei, we hope to promote sub-regional cooperation in BIMP-EAGA, bringing benefits to all the parties concerned. The opportunities are there.
Your Excellency, as a conclusion, on behalf of the People’s Republic of China, what is your message of friendship for the people of Negara Brunei Darussalam?
I have spent about ten months now in Brunei Darussalam and I have been impressed by the serenity of the environment and the hospitality of the people. Although small in size, Brunei has made outstanding achievements in nation-building. Here people of different ethnic groups and religions live in peace and harmony, which we have strong reasons to cherish in today’s world.
