China and Brunei get down to business

Joint efforts made to build series of landmark projects, including refinery complex, bridges, highway and dam

Two years ago, the tiny island of Pulau Muara Besar, which lies off the northern tip of Brunei in the South China Sea, was nothing but a wilderness.

Today, the island is abuzz with more than 10,000 workers from China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and other countries. A refinery and petrochemical complex, jointly invested by China's privately-run Hengyi Group and the Brunei government, is starting to take shape.