DILI, 20 september 2023 (TATOLI) – Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, left today for Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in China, to attend the Asian Games to be held on 23 september 2023.
During his stay in China, Prime Minister Gusmão is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The two leaders will attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where 58 Timorese athletes will compete in various sports, including boxing, badminton, karate, beach volleyball, tennis courts, taekwondo, athletics, and shooting.
Prime Minister Gusmão will also meet with Timorese students who are currently studying in China.
The bilateral relations between the two countries have been going from strength to strength since Timor-Leste gained its independence in 2002.
In july 2023, Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nong Rong visited Timor-Leste to strengthen China’s ties with Timor-Leste.
He said that China strongly wanted to maintain a very strong relationship with Timor-Leste.
Rong expresses China’s commitment to supporting Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN: “Timor-Leste will soon join ASEAN and China has established good relations and exchanges with regional countries and ASEAN. The accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN will enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries.”
In june 2023, the President of the National Parliament, Fernanda Lay, met with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Dili, Xu Danyang to discuss the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
Danyang expressed Chinese commitment to supporting the new government in accelerating the country’s national development, including the creation of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), attracting more investment to the country, and Timor-Leste’s membership in ASEAN.
In terms of China’s support to Timor-Leste, China constructed three major buildings in Timor-Leste, the Presidential Palace, the MoFAC Office, and the Headquarters of the Timorese National Defense Force (F-FDTL).
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
