BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on Friday exchanged congratulatory letters over the opening of the China-Brunei Year of Tourism 2020, held in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei.
In his message, Xi said China and Brunei are friendly neighbors across the sea, and mutually trusted friends and partners.
Xi said in the past two years, he and Sultan Hassanal exchanged historic mutual visits, agreed to establish the China-Brunei strategic cooperative partnership, and pledged to be good partners featuring mutual trust in politics, mutual benefit in economy, mutual understanding in people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and mutual assistance in multilateral affairs.
Xi expressed the hope that both countries, taking the year of tourism as an opportunity, will expand people-to-people exchanges and enhance cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation so as to be good friends treating each other with sincerity and good partners seeking common development.
Hassanal, in his letter, said that Brunei and China, as strategic cooperative partners, have been continuously expanding new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Noting that China is a valuable tourism market for Brunei, Hassanal said he believes that the tourism departments of both countries will make full preparations to ensure a complete success of the year of tourism.
In April last year, Xi and visiting Sultan Hassanal jointly announced in Beijing the year 2020 as the China-Brunei Year of Tourism.
The two sides will host such activities as exhibitions, forums, training sessions and world cultural heritage presentations throughout the year.
