3 things to know about Brunei Darussalam, with PM Modi’s official visit

Approximately 14,000 Indians are currently residing in Brunei, which is also a major oil producer in Southeast Asia.

PM Modi with Brunei's Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. (Via X)

4 min readNew DelhiSep 4, 2024 11:54 AM IST First published on: Sep 3, 2024 at 09:09 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei Darussalam, on Tuesday (September 3) for his official visit to the country. The first Indian PM to visit the Southeast Asian nation, his trip also marks 40 years since India and Brunei officially established diplomatic ties.

The prime minister inaugurated a new Chancery of the High Commission of India and visited the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. Here are three things to know about the country’s population, its strategic significance for India, and its leader.

1. Brunei’s population and Indian diaspora

According to official estimates from 2023, Brunei has a population of 450,500 people. Brunei citizens comprise about 76% of the population, with the remaining being permanent or temporary residents. More than 80% of the population is ethnically Malay or Chinese.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release that the first phase of Indians arriving in Brunei started with the discovery of oil in the 1920s. “Currently, approximately 14,000 Indians are residing in Brunei. The contribution of Indian doctors and teachers to the growth and development of Brunei’s healthcare and education sectors has been well acknowledged,” it added.

2. Strategic importance of Brunei

Brunei is part of India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision.

The ‘Act East’ Policy was formulated as the next step to the ‘Look East’ Policy which originated in the 1990s. In a world without the USSR, which India had close historical ties with, India sought to deepen its relations with other countries, like those in Southeast Asia. Northeast Indian states, due to their proximity to Southeast Asia, were to be instrumental in this.

In 2014, the policy was revived as ‘Act East’, imploring greater action towards solidifying those ties. PM Modi has said the 10-member grouping ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was the “central pillar” of India’s Act East Policy. Brunei is also an ASEAN member.

Many Southeast Asian countries have seen rapid economic growth in the last few decades. Therefore, commerce is also central to these ties. Brunei, for instance, is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the region.

The focus on Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific also matters in the context of China’s ascendancy in world affairs in recent years. Under President Xi Jinping, it has also taken a more authoritarian turn. While China’s economic stature gives it much heft in the region, allowing it to fund several projects and give loans to other countries, it has also irked others over issues like its conduct in the South China Sea. India can thus provide a counter to Chinese influence.

3. Longest reigning monarch in the world

Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Brunei Darussalam was the seat of a powerful sultanate. Thus, the current Sultan represents one of the oldest continuously ruling dynasties in the world. Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned as the 29th Sultan of Brunei on August 1, 1968, making him the longest-reigning monarch in the world at present.

The king is equally well-known for his immense wealth. A 2015 Time Magazine article said he reportedly owns more than 600 Rolls-Royces, and his residence — Istana Nurul Iman, the world’s largest palace — cost over $350 million.

According to an article in the BBC, “He is one of the world’s richest individuals and in a country where the standard of living is high, appears to enjoy genuine popularity amongst his subjects. More recently however, he has faced criticism over the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the country.”