‘Playing the China card’ or a serious regional threat? Timor Leste’s new deal with Beijing
The upgrading of ties with Beijing caught regional leaders by surprise, but experts say it could be a strategy to secure investment from Australia
It lies just to the north of Australia, but the tiny and impoverished country of Timor Leste is strengthening ties with China as it faces a looming fiscal crisis – a move that comes after decades of mistreatment by Canberra and raises difficult questions for its leaders.
Timor-Leste, which is situated 680km from Darwin and has massive and untapped undersea resources, surprised the region last week when it formally upgraded bilateral relations with China. A joint statement included plans to enhance military cooperation and explore developments of Timor-Leste’s oil and gas resources.
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