Timor Leste President’s Vietnam visit to promote bilateral strategic interests

Cooperative relations between the two states have developed positively since the two sides established diplomatic ties on July 28, 2002. They have supported each other at international forums, especially during the past struggle for national liberation.

The President’s visit, the fourth high-level visit to Vietnam by a Timor Leste leader, offers the two sides the chance to discuss measures to enhance cooperation and deepen bilateral relations, Thong told Jakarta-based VOV correspondents ahead of the President's visit.

The two sides have recently strengthened cooperation and coordinated stances at regional and international forums. Vietnam, other ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat always support Timor Leste in its preparation to become a full-fledged member of ASEAN.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and Timor Leste remains modest, reaching US$15.861 million last year. Of the total, US$15.49 million was worth of Vietnamese exports, mainly rice and garments, The first five months of 2024 saw Vietnam rake in US$6.09 million from its exports to Timor Leste, an increase of 29.4% year on year.

According to the diplomat, there is much room for Vietnamese export products such as rice, processed foods, milk and milk products, shoes, beverages, household products, and electrical machinery and equipment to enter the Timor Leste market.

Meanwhile, Timor Leste’s potential products such as fuel, unprocessed wood, unprocessed seafood, minerals, and metals are important inputs for goods production in Vietnam. Closer economic cooperation will help both Timor Leste and Vietnam to engage more deeply in regional and global value chains.

Vietnam’s military-run telecom giant Viettel is successfully running its Telemor project in Timor Leste. From an initial investment capital of US$500,000 in 2012, Telemor now has a total investment capital of US$15 million.

The two sides are about to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on education cooperation, creating a basis for strengthening cooperative activities in the field. There are currently about 40 Timor Leste students studying in Vietnam, and the figure is expected to further increase in the near future.

Thong expected that Timor Leste would facilitate research activities and seek investment opportunities in fields such as oil and gas exploration and exploitation, exploitation and processing of forest resources, mineral resources, mining metal ores, and non-ferrous metals, as well as increasing investment cooperation to produce goods for export to countries with preferential mechanisms for Timor Leste. He proposed that Timor Leste soon complete procedures for ratifying the trade agreement signed between the two sides. 

Currently, the ambassador said Timor Leste is in the process of joining ASEAN, further expanding opportunities for economic, political and cultural cooperation with all members of the bloc. To join ASEAN, Timor Leste needs support of member countries, in which Vietnam plays an important role.

Vietnam has always given strong support to Timor Leste in joining ASEAN, affirmed the diplomat, adding that it pays special attention to training and building staff capacity for Timor Leste.