Dr. May Fa’ezah Ahmad Ariffin / Council Director for Brunei Darussalam
It is my great honour to convey our warmest congratulations to Mr. Masataka Fujita, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), the Government of Japan and the entire staff at the Centre on the auspicious occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the AJC.
As a well-established Centre, AJC has played an instrumental role in strengthening the relations between Japan and ASEAN Member States and in particular, the unwavering support, friendship and cooperation that have been rendered to the Government of Brunei Darussalam. In this regard, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Secretary Generals, past and present, for their leadership and valuable contributions in ensuring that the Centre continues to progress well and remains relevant.
We would also like to thank the staff for their commitment and support in implementing the programmes both for the national activities as well as across the respective clusters. The various activities have indeed contributed to a greater understanding and appreciation for the long-standing ties and cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and Japan, and more importantly the friendship and camaraderie between our people.
In the past 30 years, since Brunei became a member of AJC in 1990, Brunei has benefitted from the various programmes and activities. The programmes have been extensive, inclusive and comprehensive. These include Promoting Trade in Creative Industries with the Japan Institute of Design Promotion to promote creative industries in ASEAN and to increase the marketability of ASEAN products/services in Japan; the New Forms of Trade between Japan and ASEAN Programme that addresses the growing importance of Non-Equity Mode of Trades (NEM) in intensifying regional integration and its utilization in trade; and Programmes in Exchanges of Youths and Women which have shown AJC’s commitment in addressing these issues within the global community.
To date, Japan remains to be one of Brunei’s major trading partners. In 2020, exports to Japan accounted for 25.6% of Brunei’s total exports, comprising of Mineral Fuels and Chemicals. Imports from Japan accounted for 3.2% of total imports, which comprise of Manufactured goods, Machinery and Transport Equipment and Mineral Fuels. In the same year, Foreign Direct Investment from Japan in the non-oil and gas sector amounted to BND215 Million. Moving forward, we are optimistic that more cooperation could be fostered in the non-oil and gas sector. We believe AJC can help us to achieve this.
AJC has also played a tremendous role in its efforts to nurture a conducive environment in the region and as a nexus for trade, investment, tourism and exchanges to prosper not only between Brunei Darussalam and Japan but also within the region. I am confident that AJC will continue to become the centre of excellence for the promotion of trade and investment between ASEAN and Japan. This can be further enhanced by the rapid development of technology and digitalization.
In conclusion, we remain committed to work closely with the Centre in the years ahead, to ensure the cooperation between the two sides continues to grow. Once again, allow me to reiterate our warmest congratulations to the AJC on the 40th Anniversary and wish AJC continued success.
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