Wan Junaidi signs the visitors’ book. Looking on from second left are Awang Tengah, Nur Ezira, and Mohd Abu Bakar. – Ukas photo
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (June 24): The value of bilateral trade recorded between Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam reached RM3.76 billion in 2023.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said this was an increase of 23.8 per cent compared to RM3.04 billion recorded in 2022.
“We believe that Sarawak’s close cooperation with Brunei will further increase the value of trade. Therefore, we will intensify our efforts to facilitate trade between Brunei and Sarawak, especially through trade expos,” he said in a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report.
Awang Tengah, who is Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development as well as Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment, made the remarks during a dinner with the Sarawak diaspora here last night.
He said the Sarawak government is developing the Northern Coastal Highway (NCH), which will be integrated with Brunei’s road network.
He explained that the development of the highway infrastructure will further facilitate trade and investment between Brunei and Sarawak.
“The Sarawak government will also strengthen cooperation in the aspect of telecommunications to provide connectivity at the border entrance,” he said.
In her speech earlier, Charge d’ Affaires (ad interim) of the High Commission of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam Nur Ezira Mahadi said in 2023, Brunei was Malaysia’s 30th largest global trading partner with total bilateral trade reaching almost RM10 billion.
She added that the High Commission of Malaysia in Bandar Seri Begawan welcomes the opening of the Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Brunei (Statob) this year, which will directly increase economic cooperation between Brunei and Sarawak.
Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi graced the event at the Office of the High Commission of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam.
Among those present was Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Abu Bakar Marzuki.