Brunei Update: Brunei and Malaysia to Strengthen Cooperation on Oil and Gas, Immigration, Halal Industry

Brunei and Malaysia to Strengthen Cooperation on Oil and Gas, Immigration, Halal Industry

During the 21^st Malaysia-Brunei Annual Leaders’ Consultation (ALC) on November 23, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, and the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, agreed to further strengthen the cooperation between the two nations in various sectors. The ALC is the most notable high-level event in the bilateral calendar of the two countries. The consultation is convened alternately between Brunei and Malaysia, next year’s ALC will take place in Kuala Lumpur.

In the oil and gas sector, Brunei and Malaysia entered into a Unitization Framework Agreement to develop several oil and gas fields including the Kinabalu West NAG, Maharajalela North; Gumusut/Kakap; and Geronggong/Jagus-East. Following this agreement, the division of revenue is agreed to be decided by mid-2018. Brunei and Malaysia also agreed to simplify the land immigration process to improve connectivity and facilitate seamless travel between the two countries through the use of only one stamp for entering and exiting each country; as an example, currently visitors from Brunei need eight passport stamps to go to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah through check points at Kuala Lurah, Tedungan, Pandaruan, Ujong Jalan, Labu, Mengkalap, Merapok and Sindumin, and vice versa. This effort is in line with Brunei’s plan to boost its tourism sector. Tourism directly accounted for 1.5% of Brunei Darussalam’s GDP in 2014; 2.5% in 2015 and the government is hopeful to raise it to 4.7% per annum through to 2025 to reach BN$515.8 million (USD365 million), or approximately 1.8% of Brunei’s GDP. The simplified stamp system is expected to be finalized and in place by next year’s ALC.

At the meeting, the Sultan invited Malaysia to invest in Brunei’s halal industry, innovative technology and creative industry, and business services; which are the other sectors that Brunei is currently promoting as part of its diversification efforts. Specifically for the innovative technology sector, Brunei aims to attract data centers and become a hub in the Southeast Asia region due to its geographical position and political stability. This is also part of Brunei’s strategy to leverage on the controversial trend of some of its ASEAN neighbors requiring foreign players to establish local data centers to access domestic markets. Malaysia is also equally trying to promote investment in the data center development space, hoping to meet the growing demand in the region and to enable companies to run workloads in the country. Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group as an example has opened a data center in Malaysia claiming that Malaysia’s attractive cost-effective operation as well as its strategic location is ideal for Alibaba’s Southeast Asian coverage.

Brunei to benefit from Japan’s ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’ Borneo Bulletin Online 8th Dec 2017
THE Japanese Government is introducing a new foreign policy strategy called the ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy’, which comes with three key objectives: to promote and establish the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, rule of law (freedom of navigation) and a market economy; to pursue economic prosperity; and to secure peace and stability.

Brunei's direct flights to Beijing postponed to early next year: official Xinhua 6th Dec 2017
Direct flights connecting Bandar Seri Begawan and Beijing will be postponed to early next year due to "complexity of international routes," a senior official of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) said on Wednesday.

Brunei-Indonesia have huge potential for bilateral trade, says outgoing ambassador Borneo Bulletin Online 3rd Dec 2017
BRUNEI Darussalam and Indonesia have an excellent relationship which has grown stronger over the years, in terms of political, economical and socio-cultural cooperation, said Nurul Qomar, the outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Brunei Darussalam, in an interview yesterday at the Brunei International Airport, prior to her departure from the country.

Cross-border immigration rules may be relaxed soon – Borneo Bulletin Online 26th Nov 2017
THE cumbersome immigration process at border check points between Brunei and Malaysia is expected to be simplified soon, thanks to the ongoing discussions between the two countries.

Department of Councils of State receives DPR-RI delegation Borneo Bulletin Online 17th Nov 2017
THE Department of Councils of State received a courtesy visit by a delegation from the People’s Representative Council, Republic of Indonesia (DPR-RI) at its building in Jalan Menteri Besar.

Minister highlights importance of teamwork at meeting on 34th National Day Borneo Bulletin Online 1st Dec 2017
THE theme and logo for the upcoming 34 National Day were among the topics discussed yesterday at the second meeting of the Executive Committee for the 34 National Day Celebration, at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Oppression by those with power cannot be tolerated Borneo Bulletin Online 1st Dec 2017
OPPRESSION in all forms, especially from those entrusted with power and authority, cannot be tolerated and must be rooted out of the country, said His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

Brunei branches into ecotourism The Straits Times 2nd Dec 2017
Dusk was fast approaching in Bandar Seri Begawan, but the speedboat defiantly charged down the capital's Brunei River in search of wild proboscis monkeys. Ten minutes after leaving the jetty, passing wooden houses on stilts, mosques with glittering golden domes and the enormous Nurul Iman palace on its banks, the boat arrived at the mangrove forest.

Brunei records 151.3 mln USD trade balance in September Xinhua 22nd Nov 2017
Brunei's trade balance in September amounted to 204.4 million Brunei dollars (151.17 million U.S. dollars), a 36 percent year-on-year decrease, local economic planning authorities said on Wednesday.

Brunei Oil Production to Grow Over Next 5 Years Rigzone 7th Dec 2017
Brunei’s oil production will grow over the next five years, supported by output maintenance works at mature assets, according to a new report from BMI research.

Growing nation’s economy through agriculture Borneo Bulletin Online 27th Nov 2017
THE Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism through the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood is committed to ensure that the agriculture sector becomes one of the significant contributors to the growth of the country’s economy.

Brunei to increase rice production with China's help: minister Xinhua 21st Nov 2017
Brunei is striving to increase rice productivity through introducing China's hybrid paddy varieties that are adaptable to the country's environmental conditions.

Brunei, China ink MoU on strengthening agriculture cooperation Xinhua 21st Nov 2017
Brunei's Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) and China's Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co Ltd, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of agriculture. According to local media on Tuesday, the signing of the MoU aims to strengthen and advance cooperation in the field of agricultural development and food security for the mutual benefit of both sides. The MoU covers cooperation in promotion and demonstration of agricultural science and technology in areas such as advanced breeding, seed production and cultivation technologies, said a press statement issued by the MPRT. "The collaboration is hoped to improve the contribution of agriculture industry to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the increase of agricultural production and productivity through the use of technology and skilled human resources," the statement said.

Call to realise AIDS-free generation in Brunei Borneo Bulletin Online 4th Dec 2017
A MESSAGE from Minister of Health Dato Paduka Dr Haji Md Isham bin Jaafar in conjunction with World Aids Day 2017 World AIDS Day is commemorated every December 1, and this year it is an opportunity for us to take stock of our progress in reaching the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat and help us move closer to the goal of an AIDS-free generation.

Brunei hosts special meeting of Asean PPWG Borneo Bulletin Online 1st Dec 2017
THE Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam hosted the Special Meeting of the Heads of Delegation of the Asean Pharmaceutical Product Working Group (PPWG) this year. The meeting was held for from November 29-30, at Al-‘Afiah Hall, MoH, Bandar Seri Begawan.

Brunei makes improvement in infrastructure, competitiveness: WEF Xinhua 6th Dec 2017
Brunei is making major strides in infrastructure development, scoring high among the Southeast Asian economies along with Indonesia and Singapore, according to the latest global competitiveness report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).