BEIJING (Reuters) – China and East Timor have strengthened their bilateral ties into a “large-scale strategic partnership”, potentially giving Beijing more influence in the region and helping the young island country, rich in oil and gas, in its desire to collaborate further with major economic powers.
The agreement comes after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement .
“The two sides will increase mutual support and strengthen international cooperation,” President Xi said.
China has built ties with several small Pacific nations in recent years, much to the chagrin of the United States and its allies Australia and New Zealand for whom the region has long been within their sphere of influence.
In a joint statement, China and East Timor also announced that they would jointly explore oil and gas deposits. East Timor hopes in particular to start the production of natural gas around 2030 on an offshore field whose exploitation has been awaited for several decades.
(Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo, Gilles Guillaume for the French version)
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