AT THE 21st ASEAN-China Summit held yesterday at the Suntec Convention Centre in Singapore, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam warmly welcomed Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Keqiang, while expressing his satisfaction with the 15th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership this year.
“(It) has had a positive impact on the region, contributing to peace, stability and economic growth,” said His Majesty. “It is important that ASEAN continues the good momentum in its relations with China, in order to instil greater confidence in the region, especially in the effort to synergise China’s Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.
“The enhancement of the connectivity between ASEAN-China will enable goods to move faster and more efficient between the countries, thus facilitating trade.
“In this regard, I also welcome China’s greater engagement with BIMP-EAGA, which is developing its infrastructure and has the potential to become a regional food basket.”
His Majesty also stated that advancements in technology have provided opportunities for further collaboration in the economic sphere, and that ASEAN looks forward to exchanging its best practices and experiences with China in the areas of digital economy and e-commerce to facilitate the integration of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into the global economy.
His Majesty said, “The rapid growth of technology has also given rise to cyber challenges. As societies and businesses are increasingly becoming digitalised, cyber-security has shown its importance and requires collective attention.
“I am pleased with the 11th ASEAN-China Prosecutors-General Conference which was held in Brunei Darussalam this year, which focussed on strengthening the region’s cyber resilience. I believe such joint efforts will give the people greater confidence and preparedness into the future.”
Earlier, before the start of the ASEAN-China Summit, His Majesty consented to join the leaders of ASEAN and Li Keqiang for a group photo session.
The ASEAN-China Summit opened with a welcoming statement by Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore and the Chairman of ASEAN Lee Hsien Loong, who welcomed Li Keqiang to the summit.
This was followed with a statement from Li Keqiang.
Lee Hsien Loong then invited President of the Republic of the Philippines and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-China relations Rodrigo Duterte to deliver the ASEAN common statement.
Earlier in the day, His Majesty attended the Informal ASEAN-Australia Breakfast Summit.
Before the Breakfast Summit, His Majesty consented to join the leaders of ASEAN and the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison for a group photo session.
The summit began with welcoming remarks by Lee Hsien Loong, who then invited the Prime Minister of Australia to deliver his statement.
Lee Hsien Loong also invited Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Australia relations Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad to deliver the ASEAN common statement.
At the Breakfast Summit, His Majesty firstly welcomed Scott Morrison to the summit, stating that the strong partnership between ASEAN and Australia has grown strong since 1974 and has been especially enhanced by the comprehensive ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
In his titah, His Majesty also welcomed the start of discussions to upgrade the Free Trade Agreement to ensure its relevance to current and future practices, in addition to boosting economic growth, capacity-building and networking activities that support the development of private sectors, particularly MSMEs.
His Majesty also added, “To ensure a safe and secure environment for the people, Brunei Darussalam attaches importance to implementing the Memorandum of Understanding to Counter International Terrorism, especially on information-sharing.
“Ways to complement intelligence sharing initiatives should be explored, to better address terrorism and violent extremism in the region. Overall, ASEAN appreciates Australia’s continued support, and looks forward to further strengthening ASEAN’s Strategic Partnership.”
Later, His Majesty attended the 20th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit.
Before the summit, His Majesty consented to join the leaders of ASEAN and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in for a group photo session.
The ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit began with opening remarks by Lee Hsien Loong, who then welcomed the President of the Republic of Korea to the summit.
This was followed by a statement from the President of the Republic of Korea.
Lee Hsien Loong then invited His Majesty, as the Country Coordinator for ASEAN-Republic of Korea relations, to deliver a titah of ASEAN common statement.
His Majesty began by welcoming Moon Jae-in to the meeting, stating, “The Republic of Korea is a valuable partner, and ASEAN appreciates its commitment in building a strong partnership, in which the cooperation has advanced across all three ASEAN Community pillars. This was reflected in the substantive progress made in implementing the ASEAN’s Plan of Action.
“ASEAN appreciates the Republic of Korea’s contributions towards the community-building efforts, including through the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund. ASEAN also looks forward to working with the Republic of Korea in other areas, such as smart cities, connectivity and in narrowing the development gap.”
His Majesty also mentioned that the Republic of Korea’s support for ASEAN’s central role in regional architecture is also greatly valued, saying, “ASEAN welcomes the ‘New Southern Policy’ and its ‘Economic Committee’ with an emphasis on ‘people’, ‘peace’, and ‘prosperity’. Focussing on these areas will serve to strengthen the friendship and understanding between our people, which is the foundation of this strong partnership.
“ASEAN also appreciates the Republic of Korea’s commitment to increase people-to-people exchanges to 15 million by 2020, and to have more exchanges between youth, students, and members of the media. I hope that this will bring our people closer together, which could also increase collaboration in other areas of mutual interest, such as addressing the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
“I am also pleased with the ASEAN and Asian Forest Cooperation and the ASEAN-Korea Environmental Cooperation Project. ASEAN hopes to build on this, by enhancing the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement and to realise its benefits through further liberalisation.
“In order to advance the economic ties, ASEAN member states welcome the continued commitment of the Republic of Korea to develop air transport connectivity and sustainable infrastructure development in the ASEAN region.
“This commitment could enhance the efforts towards strengthening the free, open and rules-based multilateral trading system, and contribute towards achieving our two-way trade target of USD200 billion by 2020. To be a region that is conducive to economic growth, it is imperative that the region remains stable.”
In this regard, His Majesty commended Moon Jae-in’s efforts to promote peace and improve inter-Korean relations, and congratulated him on the success of the two summits with First Chairman of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un this year.
His Majesty then stated, “ASEAN and the Republic of Korea must continue to collectively address security challenges and transnational crimes. I also look forward to continuing the close work in ASEAN-led processes, including the EAS, APT, ARF and the ADMM-Plus.
“In advancing the Strategic Partnership, ASEAN member states welcome the proposal for a Commemorative Summit in the Republic of Korea next year to mark the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Republic of Korea relations.
“Brunei Darussalam, as Country Coordinator, is committed to working with other ASEAN colleagues and the Republic of Korea to ensure the cooperation continues to bring benefits to the people.”
Following the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit, His Majesty and other ASEAN heads of state and government, as well as leaders of ASEAN Dialogue Partner Countries, attended a Working Lunch hosted by Lee Hsien Loong.