China and Brunei yesterday issued a joint statement outlining the expansion of their strategic partnership. The statement revealed that China has granted Brunei citizens holding ordinary passports a unilateral visa exemption, allowing them to stay in China for up to 30 days. In return, Brunei announced a 14-day visa exemption policy for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports. Both nations expressed confidence that these visa exemptions would boost bilateral exchanges in various fields, including tourism, culture, business, education, transportation, healthcare, sports, infrastructure, and sister city programs.