Politics

31 October 2025
ASEAN leaders welcome East Timor's accession to the group in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, some 14 years after the nation of 1.4 million people submitted its application, aiming to use membership to open up trading opportunities.
Left to right, East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn attend a signing ceremony for East Timor's admission into ASEAN on Oct. 26. (Photo by Norman Goh)
International relations

Trump deals and East Timor debut: 5 takeaways from ASEAN Summit

Washington seeks 'battle of optics' edge as China stresses economic weight

28 October 2025
The logo for the ASEAN summit is displayed at the event's venue in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Norman Goh)
International relations

East Timor makes 'historic' entry into ASEAN as bloc faces test of unity

Three-day summit kicks off in Malaysia amid rising internal and external challenges

26 October 2025
Students protest near the parliamentary complex in Dili, East Timor, on Sept. 25. "It's important for the youth, anywhere in the world, to take a stand against injustice," one said. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Politics

Protests roil East Timor as economic dissatisfaction grows

Wealth gap, injustice fuel student-led rallies in Southeast Asia's youngest nation

30 September 2025
A Japanese Mogami-class frigate. Tokyo is set to increase its budget for defense assistance. (Photo by Shinnosuke Nagatomi)
Defense

Japan doubles security aid recipients, adding Sri Lanka, Thailand

5 Indo-Pacific nations to join eligibility list as China concerns grow

21 June 2025
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar's military government, presides over a parade. He has declined to engage fully with ASEAN to secure a lasting ceasefire in the country's protracted civil war.
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN set to create permanent Myanmar envoy in bid to end crisis

Leaders to approve role after annual appointments fail to achieve breakthrough

26 May 2025
Truong My Lan attends a trial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Apr. 11. The property tycoon was sentenced to death after being convicted of financial fraud.
Your Week in Asia

Vietnam death penalty case, China business gauge, India rate decision

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

1 December 2024
East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao attends the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane on Oct. 10. The country is set to become the 11th ASEAN member, and the first new member since Cambodia joined in 1999.
International relations

ASEAN to shorten track to accept East Timor as new member

Leaders agree to ease some rules as group is likely to become 11 nations in 2025

11 October 2024
Beijing is receiving one Southeast Asian dignitary after another this week, as the government seeks to shore up ties in the region. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
International relations

China hosts Vietnam, Laos, East Timor ministers in ASEAN outreach

After Indonesia's Prabowo, Beijing woos diplomats from countries not aligned with U.S.

2 April 2024
East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao is visiting Tokyo for the summit commemorating 50 years of friendship and ties between Japan and ASEAN. (Photo by Nikkei)
Interview

East Timor gas project open to Chinese firms, PM Gusmao says

Decision on Greater Sunrise partners to depend on 'cost and benefit'

17 December 2023
An empty chair for the Myanmar delegation at the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh: It was a mistake for the bloc to bar the junta from meetings.
Opinion

ASEAN needs to get back its old hardheaded realism

Bloc's handling of Myanmar and East Timor betrays erosion in strategic thinking

7 July 2023
East Timor's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, who is also a former East Timor independence fighter, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo wave to photographers as they meet at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, Feb. 13.
International relations

Indonesia, East Timor to expand economic ties at two border islands

Jokowi pledges to help East Timor develop human capital to enter ASEAN

13 February 2023
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, right, welcomes here East Timorese counterpart, Adaljiza Magno, during the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting in Jakarta on Feb. 3.
International relations

East Timor faces economic challenges ahead of joining ASEAN

Talent, financial deficits weigh on tiny state also caught up in China-U.S. tussle

12 February 2023
East Timor's new President Jose Ramos-Horta during his inauguration ceremony in Dili on May 20.
Belt and Road

East Timor's new president still driving China's Belt and Road

Ramos-Horta supports initiative 'completely' and urges U.S. to cooperate

21 May 2022
Jose Ramos Horta speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Dili on March 15: Ramos-Horta's pro-China tilt may make East Timor more vulnerable to great power competition.
Opinion

The outsized implications of East Timor's presidential election

Ramos Horta victory will likely help Beijing secure another regional foothold

21 April 2022
Jose Ramos-Horta declares victory in East Timor's presidential election in Dili on April 21.
Interview

East Timor's president-elect says ASEAN membership a top priority

Ramos-Horta won Tuesday's presidential election with 62% of the vote

21 April 2022
From left: Presidential candidates Jose Ramos Horta, Milena Pires and incumbent Francisco 'Lu-Olo' Guterres (Source photos by AP, AFP/Jiji and Kyodo) 
Politics

East Timor's generational divide in play during presidential polls

Allure of old-school independence fighters fades as younger candidates emerge

18 March 2022
USS Gabrielle Giffords conducts routine operations near a drill ship in South China Sea on May 12: the U.S. has been unwavering in its mission to preserve regional peace and stability. (Handout photo from the U.S. Navy)
Opinion

Indo-Pacific network must evolve to meet changing threats

US is working with partners to defend a free and open region

17 May 2020
A bridge construction site of the Bar-Boljare highway, pictured in June 2018: for Montenegro any concerns were far outweighed by the potential economic benefit of the new road.
Opinion

For developing world, Belt and Road Initiative is best deal around

China's infrastructure offer supports economic growth in Europe, Africa and Asia

6 May 2020
King Willem-Alexander walks with Joko Widodo during the welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor on Mar. 10: other former colonial powers should follow the Dutch King's example.
Opinion

Dutch king's visit to Indonesia shows why apologies matter

Royal words should trigger wider review of imperial and post-colonial violence

16 March 2020
Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
Cambodian authorities in June ordered the destruction of Bun Kim Long's 80 pigs. Like many smallholder pig raisers across Asia, her business is in tatters. (photo by Shaun Turton)
Agriculture

African swine fever wipes out Asia's backyard pig farmers

Outbreak forcing a shift to commercial operations with biosecurity resources

11 October 2019
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