BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Bruneians have welcomed the "Forward Together" dialogue on Brunei-China friendship held on Saturday at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), highlighting its role in strengthening people-to-people ties, cultural understanding and long-term cooperation between the two countries.
Mohammad Firdaus Abdul Rahman, president of the Brunei-China Friendship Association (BCFA), said the platform, as a people-to-people association, aims to enhance cultural exchanges while expanding cooperation in education.
He suggested greater promotion of food and culinary exchanges, noting that such initiatives could attract wider public participation rather than being limited to specific groups.
Firdaus said that when people understand each other's culture better, it promotes mutual understanding between both countries and contributes positively to the economy.
Fahmiin Abdullah, vice president of the Youth Entrepreneurs Association of Brunei Darussalam, said the dialogue provided valuable opportunities for young people to network and gain a deeper understanding of the BCFA.
He noted that such platforms help youths identify potential collaborations and opportunities that could be brought into Brunei, particularly in entrepreneurship and cross-border cooperation.
Arumi Izaazwazini Ramli, a Bruneian student at the College of International Students of Southeast University in Nanjing, China, expressed hope that the dialogue would foster greater understanding of Brunei-China relations and provide deeper insights into bilateral people-to-people ties.
She hoped more opportunities would be created for students in areas such as industry exposure, tourism, technology and cultural exchange in the future.
Sarah Hanaa Haji Ahmad Ghazali, deputy director at UBD, said cooperation between Brunei and China has expanded across education, trade and investment, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
In the education sector, she highlighted the UBD-Zhejiang University joint scholarship program, which she said plays a key role in developing talent for highly skilled industries and strengthening Brunei's human capital. ■
