Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman, Minister of Education,
Yang Mulia Dr. Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati binti Haji Tajuddin, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education,
Yang Mulia Awang Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education,
Dear officials from the Ministry of Education, Chairmen of Board of Directors, principals, teachers, students, friends from the media, good morning to everyone.

Today, I am very pleased to attend the awarding ceremony of the 3rd Brunei Primary School Students Painting Competition together with His Excellency Minister Dato Hamzah bin Sulaiman. The competition was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Brunei and the Ministry of Education, with the theme of "Friendship between China and Brunei - Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Brunei". The year 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of China-Brunei diplomatic ties, which makes it the prime theme for the competition, as it could help enhance the awareness of and the affinity to the China-Brunei friendship among the younger generation. I still remember when I first discussed this idea with Minister Dato Hamzah, he immediately extended his support, which was the source of my determination and confidence. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express our appreciation to Minister Dato Hamzah for attending the awarding ceremony and delivering remarks. I would also like to thank the Ministry of Education for its continuous support and cooperation, and all the participating schools, teachers and students for your full cooperation.

The competition was accomplished by teachers and students from participating schools who overcame the inconveniences and difficulties brought about by the raging pandemic and online schooling. There were over 80 entries from 14 schools. After careful selection, 30 paintings have won prizes as such, 2 top prizes, 3 first prizes, 5 second prizes, 8 third prizes and 12 consolation prizes. Our heartiest congratulations go to all the winners. I am very touched by the paintings, through which the sincere friendship and solidarity in hard times between China and Brunei as well as the children's keen observation of the cultures of both countries is beautifully conveyed. Thank you all.

In the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, with the joint efforts of both sides, mutual political trust has been consolidated, peoples’ hearts have been brought closer and practical cooperation in various fields has been thriving. Faced with COVID-19, we have sincerely supported and helped each other. In times of great vaccine shortage worldwide, China took the lead in donating vaccines to Brunei and provided technical support to Brunei’s fight against the pandemic, which contributed to the enhancement of Brunei’s capacity of pandemic prevention and control. Bilateral trade reached US$2.85 billion in 2021, up 46.6% year-on-year.

Since 2019, the themed painting competition for Brunei primary school students has been held for three consecutive years, with a total number of more than 1,500 paintings submitted. Although the theme of each competition is different, panda is always the favorite subject. At the Beijing Winter Olympics which was closed two weeks ago, the mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, a playful panda wearing an icy shell, was loved by all athletes from around the world and became a super star. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was a great success, the organization of which were highly acclaimed by International Olympic Committee and athletes, and the viewership was the highest in the history of Winter Olympics. The Bruneian society also supported the Beijing Winter Olympics actively. The prize quiz organized by the Embassy on Facebook was met with great enthusiasm. The videos of hand dances of “Together for a Shared Future” presented by Chung Hwa Middle School, BSB and Seri Mulia Sarjana School have been viewed nearly one million times on Chinese social media. Chung Hwa Middle School, KB also contributed to the promotion of Beijing Winter Olympics by holding painting and composition competitions. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your attention and support to the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the moment, the Beijing Winter Paralympics is in full swing. I hope you can continue to pay attention to the Paralympics, and pay tribute to the strong tenacity and tireless pursuit of excellence of the athletes with disabilities.

The China-Brunei friendship enjoys extensive public support as a solid foundation and calls for joint efforts from all of us. This year, the Embassy hopes to hold the 4th Painting Competition jointly with the Ministry of Education, and sincerely hopes to receive the continued support from the schools and participation of the students, using your imagination to add new colors to China-Brunei friendship.

Thank you all.