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1 1 (August 18, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemox0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic informing ¶hw legislative debate since 1914 Updated August 18, 2023 Brunei Darussalam The State of Brunei Darussalam (Brunei) is located on the northwest coast of the Island of Borneo, and is bordered and bifurcated by eastern Malaysia. Brunei has a land mass of 2,226 square miles (slightly smaller than Delaware). It possesses substantial oil and natural gas reserves and is located along the strategically and economically important sea lanes of the South China Sea (SCS). Brunei is a predominately Sunni Muslim state with a population of around 485,000, consisting of mostly ethnic Malays and a substantial ethnic Chinese minority. The capital city is Bandar Seri Begawan. Congress oversees U.S. trade and security relations with Brunei, and monitors Brunei's disputes in the SCS. Brunei is a constitutional monarchy, headed by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, who is both head of state and Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Finance and the Economy, Defense, and Foreign Affairs. The Sultan is one of the world's wealthiest people. He is advised by the Council of Ministers, which he reshuffled in June 2022, as well as a Religious Council, Privy Council, and Legislative Council, all of which are appointed by the monarch. Brunei's legal system is based on a combination of British common law and Indian penal code; this legal system was amended in 2014 to include Islamic law (Sharia or locally, Syariah). The U.S. State Department cites restricted press, weak civil society, and repression of marginalized groups as challenges in Brunei that stymie U.S. attempts to promote human rights in the country. Some Members of Congress have expressed concern with human rights conditions in Brunei, including reported human rights violations associated with the country's 2014 imposition of Sharia law. Brune s Economy According to its Department of Economic Planning and Statistics (DEPS), Brunei's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 was approximately $17.1 billion. Its per capita GDP in 2022 was approximately $38,400. Brunei's economy is dominated by the extraction and export of oil and gas, which provide about 50% of the country's GDP. The government uses revenue from the state energy company, Brunei Energy Services and Trading (formerly known as Brunei National Petroleum Corp.), to subsidize infrastructure development and social programs. Declining offshore oil reserves, combined with lower oil prices, present a challenge for the country's development. In 2021, the Brunei government launched the Brunei Economic Blueprint, which provides guidelines for developing the country's economy. The Blueprint recommends strengthening five priority sectors to reduce the country's economic dependence on oil and gas: downstream oil and gas, food, tourism, information-communications and technology (ICT), and services. The DEPS states Brunei's merchandise exports in 2022 totaled around $14.6 billion; merchandise imports were worth $9.7 billion. Brunei's leading trading partners are Singapore, the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China), and Japan. Major sources of foreign direct investment in Brunei are China, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom; these investments are mostly in Brunei's natural resources sector. Brunei has a history of advocating in favor of trade and investment liberalization in the region. It was a founding member of the 2006 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (P4), the forerunner of the 12-country Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP), from which the United States withdrew in 2017. It is a member of the 2018 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the 2020 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Figure I. Map of Brunei Darussalam Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank. Brunei's Regional Role Brunei has played a role in regional diplomacy on a number of issues. It was the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2021, the year that a coup d'etat installed a military junta in Burma (also known as Myanmar), and it coordinated ASEAN's initial response to the crisis that followed. In addition to ASEAN, it is a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, as well as ASEAN-centered bodies such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM+). It is

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