On 2 March 2024, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) met with Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei Darussalam Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Abdul Manaf Bin Haji Metussin in Bandar Seri Begawan. 

Shi Zhongjun said that ASEAN and China enjoy cultural affinity and time-honored friendly exchanges, and stand out as each other’s major tourist destination and source market. 2024 has been designated as ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, and China has launched visa-exemption policies with some ASEAN countries including Brunei, which will definitely bring ASEAN-China and Brunei-China people-to-people exchanges to new heights, enhance mutual learning and understanding, and cement foundations for practical cooperation. Looking forward, the ACC will continue to work as a platform to revitalize tourism industries, promote tourist destinations and popular tourism routes in ASEAN countries, and familiarize the Chinese general public with Brunei through the ACC-sponsored flagship projects such as ASEAN-China Week and A Cloud Tour of ASEAN with the ACC. SG Shi looks forward to the continued support and cooperation from the Ministry in advancing quality tourism cooperation between China and ASEAN with Brunei included. 

Minister Dato Abd Manaf Metussin applauded the key role played by the ACC in materializing tourism cooperation between China and ASEAN including Brunei, and expressed the willingness to deliver more tangible outcomes of cooperation with the support from the ACC. He echoed in a positive manner some potential plans for cooperation with the ACC such as better exposing Bruneian tourism assets to the Chinese market, organizing the Chinese influencers on a familiarization trip to Brunei, and providing language training for local tourism practitioners in Brunei. He also looked forward to expanding cooperation domains, leveraging on the ACC’s resources, to such areas as hybrid rice planting, smart seeding, green agriculture and capacity building for Bruneian farmers.