China-East Timor relations were established following

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-w ...

's independence on May 20, 2002.China, East Timor Establish Diplomatic Relations
Xinhua News Agency, 19 May 2002 However,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

had established a representative office in

Dili Dili ( Portuguese/ Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed i ...

in 2000, when was still under

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

.''ASEAN and the Rise of China''
Ian Storey, Routledge, 2013, page 277 Since East Timor's independence, China has paid for the construction of the Presidential Palace in

, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the residential headquarters of the Defence Force. "China, East Timor Strengthen Military Ties
Sara Everingham,

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

, 24 August 2010 In 2003, Beijing signed a deal with the

Community of Portuguese Language Countries The Community of Portuguese Language Countries ( Portuguese: ''Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa''; abbreviated as the CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth (''Comunidade Lusófona''), is an international organization and pol ...

, of which East Timor is a member, to increase trade and economic development among the countries.Talking Portuguese: China and East Timor
, Michael Leach, ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

'', December–January 2007/08 In 2006, the then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Xanana Gusmão José Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmão (; born 20 June 1946) is an East Timorese politician. A former rebel, he was the third President of the independent East Timor, serving from 2002 to 2007. He then became its fourth prime minister, serving from ...

called China "a “reliable friend” and had committed East Timor to a One China policy""China and East Timor: Good, but Not Best Friends"
, Ian Storey, Association for Asia Research, 15 August 2006 In 2014, the two countries issued a joint communiqué reaffirming that East Timor recognised the Government of the People's Republic of China as "the sole lawful Government representing the whole of China", that

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

was "an inalienable part of the Chinese territory", and that East Timor would not establish "any form of official relationship or conduct any form of official contacts" with

. When East Timor was under Portuguese rule,

, as the "Republic of China", had a Consulate in

. However, when Fretilin unilaterally declared the territory's independence as the Democratic Republic of East Timor, on 28 November 1975, the People's Republic of China was one of the few countries in the world to recognise the new state. Following the Indonesian invasion on 7 December 1975, China, as a permanent member of the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

, supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 384 deploring the invasion, upholding the territory's right to self-determination and calling on Indonesia to withdraw.United Nations Security Council Resolution 384
/ref> There is also increased military cooperation between the two countries, with the 2008 purchase of two Shanghai-Class patrol boats from a Chinese company.Relations Strained as East Timor Buys Chinese Navy Boats
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', Lindsay Murdoch, 7 June 2010 These boats were initially to be manned by Chinese sailors, while the Chinese trained the Timorese to guard their coasts. In addition, China signed a contract providing US$9 million toward the building of a new headquarters for the military in East Timor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:China-East Timor Relations Bilateral relations of East Timor

See also

References