China and Brunei to step up oil and gas development in disputed South China Sea
- Beijing’s diplomacy continues with talks on South China Sea Code of Conduct
- Leaders agree cooperation in trade and defence as China stand-off with US goes on
China and Brunei will together exploit oil and gas resources in the disputed South China Sea, their leaders said on Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreed to link the two countries’ development blueprints – Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and Brunei’s Vision 2035 plans.
China and Brunei have overlapping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea. Other claimants in the resource-rich region include Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan.
On a two-day trip to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, Xi told Hassanal that both countries should push on with the negotiation of the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC), as “maintaining peace and stability of the South China Sea matters to both China and Brunei’s interests and is a shared will of both people”.
“We appreciate Brunei's initiative that the relevant parties should resolve disputes through friendly consultations, and regional countries [should] work together to ensure the stability of the South China Sea,” Xi said.