China Timor-Leste Photo: VCG

President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a state visit to China that will last till Wednesday, his first visit since he took office in 2022 and the first state visit to China by a Timor-Leste president since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2002. 

The visit not only carries great significance in further elevating bilateral ties and expanding cooperation to include areas such as digital infrastructure, but also serves as "a rebuttal" against a Western smear campaign of so-called China-threat in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese observers commented on Sunday. 

Mao Ning, foreign ministry spokesperson, at a news briefing on Friday, said that China was the first country to recognize Timor-Leste's independence and establish diplomatic relations with it. Over the past 22 years, the bilateral relationship has continued to develop steadily.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to host a welcome ceremony and a banquet for Ramos-Horta, and the two presidents will hold talks, Mao said.

Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will meet with Ramos-Horta respectively, she said.

Born in December 1949, Ramos-Horta previously served as Timor-Leste's prime minister from 2006 to 2007, and president from 2007 to 2012. He was re-elected president in 2022, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The visit of President Ramos-Horta - a seasoned politician - carries great significance and shows the leader's firm commitment to developing ties with China, Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Timor-Leste always pursues diplomatic and strategic autonomy and it consistently upholds its national interests in handling relations with Western countries, and it has always maintained its strategic clarity and resilience. The China visit is no doubt a slap in the face against the West's hyping of the so-called China threat, he noted.

Last September, President Xi and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao of Timor-Leste jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, opening up a new chapter of bilateral relations, the spokesperson said. 

The visit will be an opportunity for the two countries to further their traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote the development of their comprehensive strategic partnership, Mao said on Friday.

The Timor-Leste president has expressly dismissed talk of China as being "a menace," saying it was "unjustified and unfair" during a speech to the UN general assembly in 2023, before the upgrade of ties, according to the Guardian.

"Global China has fueled trade, economic growth and prosperity in the region," he said.

Chinese observers said that the two sides could ink new cooperation agreements during the visit. The area of the digital economy, especially China's aid to help improve local internet infrastructure is likely to be included in the new cooperation agreements, they said. 

China's sharing of clean energy technology is also of great value for the country to cope with global climate challenges, observers said. 

Besides traditional trade in the domains of agricultural products, fishery and natural resources between the two sides, the public health sector has become a new front for bilateral cooperation, the fruits of which have already significantly benefited the local people in Timor-Leste.

GX Foundation, a Hong Kong-based Chinese medical humanitarian organization, recently announced plans to donate approximately 17,000 dengue fever rapid test kits to hospitals across Timor-Leste. This donation aims to enable early detection and treatment of dengue fever at local levels, reducing the burden on central facilities in Dili, the capital city of the country, according to the presidential office of Timor-Leste.

The cooperation between China and Timor-Leste is proven to be genuine and based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, benefiting the local people rather than being tied to geopolitics as the West often demonizes. The government and people of Timor-Leste are confident in the development of their relationship with China, and the Western smear campaign has undoubtedly failed, Chen said.