South China Sea Military Diplomacy

Dong Jun Holds Talks with Brunei's Minister in Charge of the Ministry of Defence

董军同文莱国防部主管部长举行会谈

PLA Daily (解放军报) 28 July 2026

Summary

Defense Minister Dong Jun met Brunei's Minister in Charge of the Ministry of Defence Haji Halbi in Bandar Seri Begawan on July 28, with both sides committing to implement head-of-state consensus and deepen military-to-military cooperation, including on South China Sea stability. The explicit reference to the South China Sea as a shared interest—rather than a point of friction—documents Beijing's ongoing effort to cultivate Brunei as a diplomatically accommodating claimant state. How far Brunei is willing to operationalize that framing beyond ceremonial exchanges remains unspecified by the readout.

Translation

On July 28, during Defense Minister Dong Jun's visit to Brunei at the invitation of the Bruneian side, he held talks with Brunei's Minister in Charge of the Ministry of Defence Haji Halbi. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral and military-to-military relations, the international and regional situation, and issues of mutual concern, and expressed their intention to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state, further deepen strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two militaries, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea region. Prior to the talks, Haji Halbi held a welcome ceremony for Dong Jun and accompanied him in reviewing the honor guard.

Original Chinese

7月28日，国防部长董军应邀访问文莱期间与文国防部主管部长哈尔比举行会谈。双方就两国两军关系、国际地区形势以及共同关心的问题深入交换意见，表示将落实好两国元首重要共识，进一步深化两军战略协同和互利合作，共同维护南海地区和平稳定。会谈前，哈尔比为董军举行欢迎仪式，并陪同检阅仪仗队。