1. His Majesty delivers titah at the opening of the 22nd Legislative Council session
On March 12, the 22nd session of Brunei’s Legislative Council commenced. His Majesty Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam delivered a titah, stressing that the nation must proactively respond to challenges arising from geopolitical turmoil, accelerate development agendas, continue advancing economic diversification, foster a conducive business environment, enhance public facilities and service quality, and take firm action against corruption and abuse of power.
2. Brunei announces 2026 fiscal budget
On March 14, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah announced in the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council that government revenue for 2025 stood at BND 3.53 billion, a decrease of 4.4 per cent year-on-year, while total expenditure rose by 2.2 per cent to BND 6.11 billion, resulting in a widened fiscal deficit of BND 2.72 billion. The national budget for the new fiscal year is set at BND 6.3 billion, of which BND 2.31 billion (36.7 per cent) is allocated for emoluments, BND 2.45 billion (38.8 per cent) for the recurring expenditures of ministries and government departments, BND 480 million for projects under the 12th National Development Plan, with the remainder for statutory expenditure.
3. Universiti Brunei Darussalam ranked in inaugural Southeast Asia rankings
On March 11, Times Higher Education released its inaugural Southeast Asia University Rankings, with Universiti Brunei Darussalam placed the seventh, making it the only university from Brunei to enter the top 10.
4. H.E. Ambassador Chen Shaochun Briefs Brunei Media and Think Tanks on Spirit of the China’s Two Sessions
On March 12th, 2026, the Chinese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam hosted a briefing for Brunei media and think tanks. H.E. Ambassador Chen Shaochun, senior diplomats from the Embassy, representatives from Information Department of Prime Minister’s Office, Radio Television Brunei, Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies and other local media as well as think tanks in Brunei attended the event.
In his briefing, Ambassador Chen introduced the Two Sessions that have just concluded successfully, highlighting the Report on the Work of the Government and the 15th Five-Year Plan. He also introduced China’s foreign policy and the current development of China-Brunei relations, stating that China stands ready to take the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Brunei as an opportunity to further advance a China-Brunei community with a shared future to achieve greater and more substantive progress.