| Danial Norjidi |
THE relationship between Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America was lauded yesterday by the US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Craig B Allen.
Delivering a keynote address at the Power Lunch event hosted by the Brunei Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DPPMB) at the Radisson Hotel, the ambassador shared his perspective on the US economy, the development of trade and investment activities in the US as well as Brunei-US relations.
“The US and Brunei have had close relations for 170 years,” he said. “We have been trading partners for generations and we have a very good relationship in military, security, trade, investment, etc.”
Another important area is oil equipment, he noted. “We sell a lot of oil equipment to Brunei. We’d like to sell more. There’s been a revolution in oil and gas technology. The US is in the lead there and we’re happy to share the best of what we have with our Bruneian friends,” the envoy added.
“On the investment side, there is a large Bruneian investment in the US. We welcome that.” The ambassador also highlighted that Bruneian citizens do not need a visa to go to the US.
He further elaborated on the relationship between Brunei and the United States in an interview with the Sunday Bulletin.
“The trade side is dependent on the health of both economies and the two economies are doing well right now, so I think that we can expect an upswing in the exports from both sides,” he said.
“Also, on the services, be it education or tourism, there’s more and more activity going on. Oil field services as well,” he continued.
“So I’m very bullish about the economics in the second half of 2018 and 2019 for both countries.
“On US investment in Brunei, I know of a number of projects that are in one stage or another. When those are mature they’ll be announced, and I think that there’s a lot of interest.”
