China, Brunei to jointly promote BRI: Envoy

China and Brunei will further promote the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, creating a better future for the two peoples and the development of bilateral relations, Yu Hong, the Chinese ambassador to Brunei, said on Wednesday.

During an interview, Yu Hong told Xinhua that Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah will attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) to be held later this week in Beijing, China.

As a significant move, China has taken to fully open itself, the BRI follows the sound principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits and has become the most welcomed global public goods and the largest platform for international cooperation, Yu Hong told Xinhua.

"Brunei is China's friendly neighbor across the sea as well as an important link along the ancient Maritime Silk Road," Yu Hong said.

According to the ambassador, China-Brunei trade volume increased by 86 percent last year. The growth speed is fastest among China and ASEAN countries.

"China and Brunei last November upgraded the bilateral relations to the Strategic Cooperative Partnership and signed a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding for Bilateral Plan on Jointly Promoting Cooperation within BRI Framework, which charts the course for the bilateral cooperation between the two countries," she said.

"China and Brunei will work together within the BRI framework, I believe His Majesty the Sultan's successful visit to China and attendance of the Forum in China, will further promote the BRI cooperation between our two countries, creating a better future for the two peoples and the development of our bilateral relations," she added.