Bandar Seri Begawan,November 19 (AseanAll) — On November 19, 2025, Brunei’s newspaper published the article entitled Promoting Strategic Synergy Between China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Brunei’s Wawasan 2035 by Xiao Jianguo, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam.
The full text is as follows:
On October 23 this year, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. The document states that the next five years will be a critical period for China to basically realize socialist modernization. Building on this, China aims to strive for another five years to see that by the year 2035, its composite national strength will be markedly enhanced, its per capita GDP will be on a par with that of a mid-level developed country, and socialist modernization will be basically achieved. The Recommendations clearly call for accelerating the development of a modernized industrial system, developing advanced manufacturing and fostering new quality productive forces, promoting high-standard opening up, steadily expanding institutional opening up, safeguarding the multilateral trading system, and pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
In 2008, with the aim of achieving a high quality of life and building a dynamic and sustainable economy, the government of Brunei Darussalam formulated its long-term national development vision, i.e. Wawasan Brunei 2035. Through the formulation of five-year national development plans(RKNs), the implementation of eight development strategies, identification of five priority sectors, and introduction of targeted policies and measures, Brunei is committed to economic diversification and high-quality growth, the continued improvement of living standards, and the steady enhancement of its international recognition. Under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Bruneian people are resolutely advancing toward the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035. It is evident that China’s 15th Five-Year Plan Recommendations and Wawasan Brunei 2035 are highly consistent, thus laying a solid foundation for future bilateral cooperation and development.
On October 28, 2025, under the joint witness of Chinese and ASEAN leaders, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was officially signed. This not only injects strong momentum into building an open world economy, but also provides an excellent platform for aligning China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Wawasan Brunei 2035.
Upholding the principles of openness, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness, the 3.0 Protocol aligns with international high-standard economic and trade rules and explores institutional arrangements suited to the realities of the region. It aims to build an integrated regional market and resilient supply chains. Covering nine areas in total, it not only includes traditional domains such as customs procedures, trade facilitation, and standards, but also incorporates emerging areas for the first time such as the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity. The upgraded Protocol will further expand the boundaries of trade, enabling a shift from “factor-based opening” to “institutional opening.”
For China, the signing of the 3.0 Protocol will help integrate high-standard opening with high-quality development, providing support for Chinese enterprises to ‘go global’ and for institutional innovation. For ASEAN, it will help member states including Brunei to move up in global value chains, foster the growth of emerging sectors such as the digital and green economy, and enhance regional economic resilience. It is worth mentioning that the 3.0 Protocol presents Brunei with an excellent opportunity to deepen cooperation with China and serves as a key driver for advancing its economic diversification agenda. Through tariff concessions, mutual recognition of standards, and trade facilitation, Brunei’s niche and high value-added products can enter the Chinese and regional markets more rapidly. Meanwhile, China's strengths and experience in sectors such as new energy, digital infrastructure, and smart city development will provide Brunei with technological and financial support for digital transformation and low-carbon growth. Existing cooperation projects, such as Muara Port, Hengyi Petrochemical, and BYD Auto, are expected to extend into supply chain collaboration, joint development of green standards, and talent cultivation under the new framework, enabling Brunei to integrate into higher-level regional industrial chains.
The 3.0 Protocol has become a vital bond linking China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Wawasan Brunei 2035 and advancing their respective development goals. By strengthening ‘hard connectivity’ in logistics, digital infrastructure, and green energy, as well as ‘soft connectivity’ in institutional rules, mutual recognition of standards, and trade facilitation, the Protocol provides a solid framework and mechanism for bilateral cooperation. With its implementation, China-ASEAN and China-Brunei relations and economic cooperation are set to embrace an even brighter future.
As an old saying goes, wall-builders confine themselves, while bridge-builders reach beyond. China is ready to work hand in hand with Brunei, leveraging the signing of the 3.0 Protocol as an opportunity to deepen strategic alignment of the 15th Five-Year Plan with Wawasan Brunei 2035, to advance high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Together, we will further enhance practical cooperation in various fields and effectively promote the building of a China-Brunei community with a shared future, as well as a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
