BOLKIAH GARRISON, Tuesday 11 Sept 2012 – Rear Admiral Liao Shining, Deputy Chief Of Staff, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, this afternoon made a Courtesy Call to the Deputy Minister of Defence, Dato Paduka Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, at the Ministry of Defence, Bolkiah Garrison.
During the Courtesy Call, both sides expressed satisfaction at the level of cooperation between the two defence establishments that can be witnessed through frequent exchanges of visits between defense and military officials from both sides, as well as the conduct of courses from respective Ministries. Brunei Darussalam also expressed the appreciation for China’s participation and support in BRIDEX and Fleet Review 2011.
As the Chairman of ASEAN in 2013, Brunei Darussalam also took the opportunity to extend the appreciation for the strong support and continuous committment from China in the ADMM-Plus mechanism, especially on China’s Co-Chairmanship of the Experts’ Working Group (EWG) on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) together with Viet Nam.
Rear Admiral Liao Shining is currently undertaking a trip of friendship named the "Harmonious Mission: ZHENGHE's Global Voyage” on board the training ship "ZHENGHE". So far, the mission has paid port calls to 11 countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Tonga, Indonesia, and Brunei Darussalam. Two Royal Brunei Navy Officers also joined the Training Ship “ZHENGHE” in its voyage from Surabaya, Indonesia to Brunei Darussalam.
Brunei Darussalam and China signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation in September 2003. The MOU is a historic and significant milestone reflecting both parties’ commitment to broadening defence cooperation in mutually beneficial areas.