- East Timor leader Jose Ramos-Horta on Wednesday said China could help fund a vast fossil fuel project seen as crucial to the nation’s economic future, dismissing Western concerns over Beijing’s growing influence.
- Revenues from existing fossil fuel projects are soon expected to run dry, and the country’s sovereign wealth fund is rapidly dwindling, leading some to warn of an impending “fiscal cliff.”
- Australia’s top diplomat, Penny Wong, recently warned Dili that it faces some “pretty serious economic challenges” and warned against the risks of so-called “debt trap” diplomacy, a term widely used in reference to Chinese investment strategy in countries like Sri Lanka.
East Timor says China could help fund major pipeline project
