Timor’s ASEAN membership ‘to strengthen links between China and Lusophone countries’

Dr. António Ramos da Silva, East Timor delegate at the Forum Macau

A long ambition for the Timorese government and its people, Timor-Leste (East Timor) is officially joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its 11th member.

ASEAN is a regional group of 10 Southeast Asian states that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its members.

Ahead of the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit, which will take place in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Timor-Leste will be officially recognized as an ASEAN member, the Times interviewed the country’s delegate to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries-Macau (Forum Macau), Dr. António Ramos da Silva, on what this new membership represents for the Timorese and the challenges and benefits it poses for the Portuguese-speaking Southeast Asian country.

Macau Daily Times (MDT) – How do you see Timor-Leste’s joining of ASEAN, and what does it represent for the Timorese nation?

António Ramos da Silva (ARS) – This membership brings advantages from a regional geopolitical and geoeconomic perspective. ASEAN is critical in its member countries’ economic and commercial development. It establishes a partnership between ASEAN and external partners and stakeholders.

As a member of ASEAN, from a diplomatic and political point of view, ASEAN acts as a regional player on the international stage, having several cooperation and dialogue agreements with other global and regional actors, such as ASEAN-EU, ASEAN-US, ASEAN-China, ASEAN-MERCOSUR, ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-Australia, ASEAN-South Korea, among others.

Based on Timor-Leste’s national agenda, our purpose with ASEAN is to promote peace and democracy at the regional and global levels.

MDT – What are Timor-Leste’s most significant benefits and responsibilities?

ARS – From a geostrategic point of view, Timor-Leste has always expressed its interest in joining a regional organization such as ASEAN as soon as it regained its independence in May 2002.

East Timor booth at 2025 MIF

Timor-Leste expressed its national commitment to joining ASEAN and submitted a formal application to ASEAN in 2011.

Since then, Timor-Leste has become an observer member of the organization. Under Indonesia’s rotating presidency, through the Labuan Bajo summit on the island of Flores, Indonesia, in May 2023, ASEAN approved the roadmap for Timor-Leste’s membership. This mainly involves compliance with the three pillars, including the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).

For two years (2023 and 2024), Timor-Leste has been preparing to meet the requirements established to comply with the roadmap for membership, which was recently unveiled by the rotating ASEAN Chair and Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim. Ibrahim noted that Timor-Leste’s full membership will be formalized on October 26.

In terms of benefits, it will bring advantages from the point of view of economic and trade relations between ASEAN members who represent a population of 700 million and are considered one of the most dynamic economies in the world. It will encourage the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises to compete in the ASEAN market. At the same time, it will open the national market to ASEAN members.

As an ASEAN member, Timor-Leste will assume its responsibility to promote peace and harmony among nations at the regional and global levels. It will implement all ASEAN rules in force as national legislation. It will also develop closer government-to-government relations and promote dialogue between people at the “people-to-people” level.

MDT – Given China’s proximity to ASEAN countries, will Timor-Leste have a more direct connection with China?

ARS – ASEAN has, in fact, a very close dialogue and cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. On the other hand, among the 11 ASEAN member countries, all have direct borders with China, except for Singapore and Timor-Leste. Regarding regional geostrategy, Timor-Leste and the People’s Republic of China would benefit from Timor-Leste’s entry as a member of ASEAN. From the perspective of economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN, with the joining of Timor-Leste, many Chinese companies have begun to look to Timor-Leste as a point of entry into the ASEAN and Pacific markets due to Timor-Leste’s strategic geographic location. Large distribution chains such as Alibaba and Taobao, among others, have begun to seek to establish their headquarters in Timor-Leste.

MDT – Will this membership somehow raise Timor-Leste’s status in the Portuguese-speaking Countries Community (CPLP) and the Macau Forum?

ARS – Timor-Leste could become the bridge between ASEAN and the Portuguese-speaking countries and further strengthen Macau’s role as a Sino-Lusophone platform and bring it closer to ASEAN.

Portuguese-speaking countries will have a privileged presence in the region, which has 700 million consumers and is one of the most dynamic regions in the world. For Macau, Timor-Leste’s full membership in ASEAN will also further promote the trade relations between the Macau SAR and ASEAN.