Reception Marks 10th Anniversary of China-Brunei TiesA reception was held Friday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Brunei diplomatic ties.Cheng Siwei, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, attended the reception, which was sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Brunei Embassy to China. Chen Haosu, president of the CPAFFC, said that China and Brunei were good neighbors in ancient times, and the two countries have maintained frequent contacts since they forged diplomatic ties. He mentioned the visit by Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah to China in 1999, and Chinese President Jiang Zemin's state visit to Brunei last year during the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. The two visits, he said, highlighted Sino-Brunei good- neighborly relations. Chen said that China is ready to work with Brunei to push forward the friendship between the two peoples and the friendly relations between the two countries. Asmali Ahmad, Brunei ambassador to China, said that the Chinese and Brunei people have maintained a long-term friendship although the two countries only forged diplomatic ties 10 years ago. The two countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields, he said, adding that Brunei hopes to further its friendly relations with China. |
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