Negara Brunei Darussalam is an ancient Malay Muslim sultanate with a history of more than seven centuries. Brunei’s monarchical system dates to the fourteenth century and has since sustained its power，character and identity. The centuries-long continuity of the monarchy was，and still is，based on the concept of ‘Melayu，Islam，Beraja’ （MIB），translates as ‘Malay Islamic Monarchy’，an ideological foundation that has sustained Brunei over the centuries and continues to guide the sultanate’s future direction in an increasingly challenging regional and global environment. Since ancient times to the modern era，the monarchy oversees the political，economic and sociocultural domains as well as external and international relations of the sultanate offering an exemplary case of a viable and sustainable traditional monarchy in contemporary times. The intention here is to examine the interlinkages between the monarchy and the sultanate’s economy over the centuries in order to understand and evaluate their underlying strengths，characteristics and sustainability. The second part examines and evaluates the centuries-old Sino-Brunei relations and its renewed vigour in the past two decades.