HRH Prince Mohamed and China's Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Li Zhaoxing, exchanged documents during the signing ceremony

His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Brunei's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his Chinese counterpart on tourism cooperation.

HRH Prince Mohamed and China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Li Zhaoxing, exchanged documents during the signing ceremony that took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.

HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah and HRH Pengiran Anak Isteri Pg Anak Hjh Zariah are on an eight-day visit to China at the invitation of China's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier, both the ministers discussed bilateral and regional cooperation during which they highlighted the existing close relations between Brunei and China.

Li spoke highly of the remarkable achievements scored in various fields in China-Brunei cooperation since the two nations forged diplomatic ties, saying China would make joint efforts with Brunei to push forward the bilateral ties.

HRH Prince Mohamed also hailed the relations between the two nations and reaffirmed Brunei's adherence to the one-China principle, Xinhua reported.

He said the development of the bilateral ties is not only in the interest of both nations and peoples, but also beneficial to the peace and development of the region.

The two sides exchanged views on cooperation in many fields, including economy and trade, and other international and regional issues of common concern.

After the MoU was signed, HRH Prince Mohamed and his Chinese counterpart officially launched "A Collection of Historical Documents Related to Bilateral Relations Between China and Brunei Darussalam".

His Royal Highness presented Li with a pictorial book commemorating the "15th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations, Brunei Darussalam and the People's Republic of China".

Later, His Royal Highness attended a welcoming luncheon given in honour of his visit by Li.

In the afternoon, His Royal Highness called on Premier Wen Jiabao at The Great Hall of the People.

His Royal Highness and the Chinese premier exchanged views on ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and the People's Republic of China were established on September 30, 1991.