On 8th April, H. E. Ambassador Xiao Jianguo to Brunei Darussalam hosted a briefing & iftar during Ramadhan for local media and think tanks on various topics.Over 50 participants from media and think tanks were present. The major content of the briefing is as follows:
I. Chinese Economy--Bright Prospects with Full Opportunities
Looking back at 2023, the world economy is struggling to grow amid the geopolitical conflicts, and intensifying protectionism and unilateralism. China has successfully accomplished the main goals for economic and social development in 2023. Recently, China’s “Two Sessions”, namely，the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, concluded successfully, emphasizing that China will continue to promote high-quality development, comprehensively deepen reform, expand opening up, and constantly provide new opportunities to the world with China's new development. We believe that China's development will not only inject more certainty and positive energy into the global economic recovery, but also provide five important opportunities for all countries including Brunei:
The first is opportunity of development, as Chinese economy is a crucial engine for global economic recovery. In 2023, China's economy grew by 5.2%, contributing over 30 percent to global growth. China’s GDP exceeded RMB 126 trillion (about 18 trillion US dollars), and per capita GDP exceeded 12 thousand US dollars. China has set its GDP growth target for this year at around 5%. We are confident in achieving this target because we have four distinct advantages: a socialist market economy in systemic terms capable of pooling all our resources to complete major missions; a supersize market in terms of demand; a full-fledged industrial system in terms of supplyas China isthe only country with industries across all categories in the U.N. industrial classification; and abundant, high-caliber labor force and entrepreneurs in terms of human resources. We believe the Chinese economy will continue to be a significant engine for global economic recovery and development.
The second is opportunity of innovation, as China's research and innovation in multiple fields are injecting momentum into the world. In 2023, China rose to 12th in Global Innovation Index with its R&D investment reaching RMB 3.3 trillion. The C919, China’s homegrown jetliner, went into commercial operation. The export value of “new trio,” namely, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, grew by nearly 30 percent, among which the export of new energy vehicles exceeded 1.2 million units, ranking first in the world. China has around 400 thousand high-tech companies, with its number of unicorn startups ranking second globally. Following the Two Sessions, keywords like "new quality productive forces" and "artificial intelligence plus" are attracting attention worldwide. “New quality productive forces” is a major concept put forward by President Xi Jinping. It refers to innovation-led, reform-driven advanced productive forces that will boost total factor productivity and promote high-quality development. China is promoting industrial innovation through technological innovation and advancing comprehensive new industrialization. Since Brunei has shown great interests in the digital economy, smart cities and AI, there is huge potential for deeper cooperation between the two sides.
The third is opportunity of green development, as promoting the energy transition benefits both in China and the world. China is firmly committed to energy revolution, and has put clean energy at the front and center in energy development. When developing clean energy at home, we have shared with the rest of the world China’s technologies, products and initiatives, greatly contributing to global clean energy development. In 2023, 510 million kilowatts of installed renewable energy capacity were added across the world, over half of which were contributed by China. In Southeast Asia countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, and in Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco and Qatar, Chinese companies are heavily involved in large-scale clean energy projects and have fueled the local energy transition. In Africa, China has implemented over 100 clean energy and green development projects. The shift from high-carbon and fossil fuel energy models brings hope for sustainable growth and meaningful emission reductions for the next decade and beyond. Since Brunei attaches great importance to green development and environmental protection, China is willing to explore and expand bilateral cooperation in these areas.
The fourth is opportunity of cooperation, as the Belt and Road Initiative promotes the development and benefit for the world. China has become a major trading partner with over 140 countries and regions, and has carried out over 3,000 practical cooperation projects with BRI partners, attracting investment of nearly one trillion US dollars. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of IMF, pointed out that every percentage increase in Chinese economy will bring an average 0.3% increase of the production levels of other economies. Last year, at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of BRI, President Xi Jinping announced eight major actions that China will take next, marking the start of a new stage of high-quality development in BRI cooperation. Brunei is an important BRI partner, witnessing the steady development of key projects including Hengyi Industries and Muara Port. China is ready to strengthen strategic synergy with Brunei and promoteimplementation of more projects that benefit the two countries and peoples.
The fifth is opportunity of opening up, as China’s expanding of opening up provides cooperation opportunities for other countries. In 2023, China's total foreign trade volume reached 41.8 trillion RMB, expected to top the world for seven consecutive years. The FDI reached 916.99 billion RMB, an increase of 16.7%. Nearly 54,000 new foreign-funded enterprises were established, an increase of 39.7%, with a return on investment in China reaching 9.1% over the past five years. Additionally, China is actively promoting accession to CPTPP (the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and DEPA (the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement), steadily advancing institutional opening up, continuously connecting with the world at a higher level of openness, and bringing more opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit to the world.As a developing country and member of Global South, China attaches great importance to the solidarity and cooperation with Global South Countries and will make continuous efforts in deepening reform and opening-up to promote more win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.Brunei is very active in the field of multilateral trade and China stands ready to develop closer cooperation with Brunei in this regard.
In short, walking with China means walking with opportunities. Currently, China is comprehensively promoting the Chinese path to modernization, accelerating the development of new quality productive forces driven by innovation, providinggreat market opportunities and vast development prospects to domestic and foreign investors. China welcomes Brunei to continue to take the bullet train of China's economic development, and deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation through the above-mentioned five major opportunities, bringing more visible and tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples.
II.The Spirit of the Central Conference on Work relating to Foreign Affairs and the Progress of China-Brunei Relations
At the end of 2023, the Central Conference on Work relating to Foreign Affairs was held in Beijing, setting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind as the noble goal of China's diplomacy in the new era. This reflects China's in-depth thinking and answers to "what kind of world to build and how to build it". Now, I will further introduce China's stance and propositions on its major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics by a few key terms.
1. Onenoble goal, namely building a community with a shared future for mankind. President Xi Jinping proposed this goal which reflectsthe Chinese Communist Party’s worldview, perception of order, and values, and becomes the mainline of China's foreign policy. It aims to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity. Since it was proposed over ten years ago, China has reached consensus with many countries on building bilateral communities with shared futures, and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has developed from an idea to a scientific system, from China’s proposal to an international consensus, and from a lofty vision to a practical achievement, demonstrating strong vitality.
2. Two propositions, namely an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, offering guidance to build a community with a shared future for mankind. To address the major issues and challenges facing the world today, China put forward the two propositions. An equal multipolar world means equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for every nation. And it is definitely unacceptable that certain countries must be at the table while some others can only be on the menu. An orderly multipolar world means all should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold the universally recognized basic norms governing international relations. All countries must act within the UN-centered international system. Universally beneficial globalization means growing the economic pie and sharing it more fairly, so as to enable people from different nations, social groups, and communities to take part in economic and social development and share the benefits. Inclusive globalization means supporting countries in pursuing a development path suited to their own national conditions. Unilateralism and protectionism for selfish gains at the expense of others must be discarded to keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded, and to sustain the robust and dynamic growth of the world economy.
3. Three initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), put forward by China as solutions to improve global governance and tackle challenges in this fast-changing world, offering strategic and directional guidance for promoting the building of a community of shared future for humankind. GDI addresses the issues of human survival, sustainable development and national modernization, focuses on solving the global development deficit, and points out the direction for promoting global development cooperation. GSI addresses issues of war and peace, conflict and stability, provides reference for addressing global security challenges, charting feasible pathways for resolving international hot-spot issues. GCI addresses the issues of antagonism and misunderstanding, inclusiveness and mutual trust, advocates the common values of humanity, seeks the biggest common ground among civilizations, and builds consensus for exchanges and mutual learning with different civilizations.
4. One platform, namely Belt and Road Initiative, which has become a practical platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, BRI is committed to promoting physical connectivity, institutional connectivity and people-to-people bonds between China and all participating countries. For over 10 years since BRI was put forward, China has signed over 230 BRI cooperation documents with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations. BRI has become the most popular international public good and largest international cooperation platform in today’s world. Looking forward, China will take eight major steps to accelerate BRI cooperation, clarifying a new direction for the high-quality BRI cooperation.
5. Five Principles, namely the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, of which this year marks the 70th anniversary. The principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence,have not only been the cornerstones of China's foreign policy, but also transcended differences in social system and ideology to become the basic norms for international relations and fundamental principles of international law, persistently playing an active role in building a fair and equitable international political and economic order, and in promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
China and Brunei are close neighbors across the sea, mutually trustworthy friends, and partners of common development, setting a good example of relations between countries of different sizes based on equality and mutual benefit for common development. Especially with the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and Brunei Vision 2035, the friendship between the two peoples has continued to emerge stronger. During the pandemic, China and Brunei have supported and assisted each other, reflecting the solidarity of the Kampong Spirit. The two countries have achieved fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation, with key BRI projects such as HengyiIndustriesand Muara Port contributing greatly to Brunei's economic development.Chinese enterprises have also actively participated in Brunei's infrastructure constructionincluding the Temburong Bridge, PMB Bridge, Ulu Tutong Dam, and Telisai-Lumut highway. Huawei has helped Brunei in launching commercial 5G. Brunei's exports of agricultural and fishery products to China have made a new step forward, and China’s hybrid rice donated to Brunei has yielded a good harvest. All these bringtangible benefits to the two countries and peoples.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Brunei's independence and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and both countries are committed to the modernization and the realization of a betterlife for their peoples. China is willing to work with Brunei to follow the important consensus of the two Heads of state at last year's meeting in San Francisco,carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen the strategic mutual trust, further synergize the development strategies, enhance the people-to-people exchanges, andpromote the two countries' strategic cooperative partnership into a new level and new development.
Especially this year is the 2024 ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges.The Embassy has planned a series of cultural and people-to-people exchange programs, including China-BruneiFriendlyFootball Match, Chinese Culture and Art Festival, China Day, Chinese Book Donationsand Chinese Ambassador's Award. Moreover, we will also actively support cultural events held in Brunei,such asthe World Chinese Writers' Conference, Calligraphy Exhibition of Overseas Chinese and the World Junior Wushu Championships.We welcome our friends from media and think-tanksto contribute to the development of the relationship between the two countries through vigorous publicity and reporting on the above-mentioned events.
III. The Taiwan Question
As you all know that there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This January, after the elections in Taiwanregion ended, more than 180 countries and international organizations have reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle and their support for China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This sufficiently proves that the one-China principle is already a prevailing international consensus. A small group of pro-independent elements on Taiwan island are unpopular and doomed to failure.
Our policy is quite clear—we will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity. Our bottom line is also quite clear—we will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the motherland. Whoever engage in “Taiwan independence” on the island will be held accountable by history. Whoever in the world connive at and support “Taiwan independence” will get burned for playing with fire and taste the bitter fruit of their own doing.
During the phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Biden last week, China once again made its clear stance and emphasized that the Taiwan question is the first red line of the bilateral relations. We will not tolerate any separatist activities for “Taiwan independence” nor those to connive at and support “Taiwan independence”. President Biden reiterated one-China policy. Recently Mr. Ma Ying-jeou, former Chairman of KMT and former leader of Taiwan region paid a visit to Chinese mainland and reiterated that Taiwan is part of China.
His Majesty and Bruneian Government adhere to the one-China principal, which China highly appreciates. We believe that people from all walks of life in Brunei will abide by the solemn commitment of His Majesty and the Bruneian Government, and understand China’s stance and advocations on Taiwan question.For example, last year the Bruneian Foreign Ministry issued a circular to all government agencies to remind local officials to adhere to one-China policy.
IV. Xinjiang’s Development and the National and Religious Policies of China
Nowadays,some western media maliciously and consistently hypes up the false information on Xinjiang. Here I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the real Xinjiang in three key aspects.
First, the economy has developed rapidly. Located in the northwest of China, Xinjiang has a vast territory and abundant resources, accounting for 1/6 of China’s total land area. In 2023, Xinjiang's GDP reached over 1,912 billion yuan, growing by 6.8% year-on-year. Over the past decade of the Belt and Road cooperation, more than 70,000 China-Europe freight trains have passed through Xinjiang’s border ports, making it an important hub connecting the East and the West of the Silk Road. With protecting ecology as its priority, Xinjiang vigorously develops clean energy and smart agriculture. The installed capacity of new energy power, mainly wind power and photovoltaic power, has reached more than 64 million kilowatts. The annual output of high-quality cotton has been stable at more than 5 million tons for five consecutive years, and the mechanized harvesting rate has exceeded 85%. Xinjiang’s cotton fields have become the synonyms for mechanized and intelligent agricultural production, with little need for a large number of “cotton pickers”. The lies of “forced labor” in Xinjiang from some western countries have been exposed and collapsed of itself, and their insidious attempts to undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability and stop China’s development are destined to fail.
Second, the people live and work happily. Nowadays, Xinjiang has made unprecedented achievements in economic and social development and improvement of people’s livelihood, and all its people have been lifted out of poverty by current standards. Since the founding of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the population of Uygur people has grown from over 3 million to more than 12 million, most of them are Muslims and the average life expectancy of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang has increased from 30 years to 75.6 years. This is the best example of China’s protection of human rights. How canthese be distorted as “genocide”? At present, Xinjiang has 25 airports, more than 9,500 kilometers of railways and 220 thousand kilometers of highways. The strong transportation network supports the rapid development of tourism. The song of Xinjiang AGreat Place has been deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Today, walking in the Mount Tianshan, you will see the “windmills” and snow-capped mountains forming a gorgeous painting, and photovoltaic panels scattered in desert gathering into “a blue ocean”. Rich tourism resources have spawned the booming of different tours, centered on ice and snow, folk, historical and cultural attractions and so on. Many Xinjiang bloggers share local food and customs online, and even promote local products through live streaming. Through their videos, more and more people see the real, prosperous and beautiful Xinjiang.
Third, the society is free and open. The door of Xinjiang remains open. In the pastyear, more than 4,300 foreign guests from different countries and international organizations visited Xinjiang, including government officials, diplomatic envoys, religious figures, experts, scholars and media journalists. They witnessed Xinjiang’s stable development and its people’s happy life. There are more than 13 million Muslims and a lot of mosques in Xinjiang. The religious needs of Xinjiang people are well protected, and the public’s satisfaction for safety reaches99.3%. Last year, the Embassy invited young government officials from Brunei to visit Xinjiang. When they returned, I heard them sharing feelings of the beauty, harmony, prosperity and stability of Xinjiang and their wonderful memory of Xinjiang people’s singing, dancing and their warm hospitality. We sincerely welcome more Bruneian friends to go to Xinjiang for visits, sightseeing, investments as well as business. By truly walking and visiting there, you will explore a real Xinjiang by yourself.
Brunei is a Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) country and China is a nation with ancient civilization where multiple ethnic groups and religions coexist. The two countries have carried out active exchanges and cooperation in the field of mutual appreciation of civilizations and cultures and achieved fruitful results. Last year, the Embassy donated nine sets of books to Ministry of Religious Affairs of Brunei and its affiliated mosques, religiousinstitutions and universities, introducing Chinese Islamic architectures and Muslim culture to Bruneian friends. Just during this Ramadan, my colleagues and I visited Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiahand Yayasan Fundation, learning about the development of Brunei’s Islamic culture and the charm of Al-Quran. Civilizations are enriched by exchanges and mutual learning. China is willing to further strengthen religious and cultural exchanges with Brunei, to deepen mutual understanding and trust as well as closer people-to-people ties of our two countries.
