Minister of State Administration attends the Opening of the International Agricultural Machines Exhibition in China
On October 26th, 2024, the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, took part in the opening ceremony of the China International Agricultural Machines Exhibition, an event taking place from October 26th to 28th at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hunan province. Considered the largest agricultural exhibition in Asia and one of the top five worldwide, the initiative brings together Government Authorities and representatives of the agricultural industry from more than 50 countries to promote international exchange and cooperation in the field of agricultural mechanization. 
In his speech, Minister Tomás do Rosário Cabral emphasized the importance of bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and China, which were recently elevated to the status of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, according to the “Joint Declaration between the People's Republic of China and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. The Minister also noted the progress made in cooperation between the province of Hunan and the municipality of Manatuto, with joint projects “in areas such as vegetable cultivation, the development of horticulture, livestock breeding and aquaculture”, initiatives aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector and contributing to food security in the region. 
The Governor recognized that the China International Agricultural Machines Exhibition, in which “the exhibition area, the number of exhibitors and the number of visitors are the largest in history”, provides “a powerful platform for communication, exchange and cooperation between nations around the world”. He also said that Timor-Leste is looking forward to the opportunities for cooperation that this event brings to “innovate cooperation models and bring new vitality to the development and exchange of the agricultural machines industry”. 
In this context, Minister Tomás Cabral highlighted “the main initiatives of Timor-Leste's Strategic National Development Plan 2011-2030”, which aim to “make use of advanced agricultural machinery technology to give a significant boost to the quality of our national agricultural sector”, with the aim of “making life easier for rural producers, reducing bureaucracy in their interaction with the State and creating conditions for increased production and productivity”. 
The Minister also expressed his “appreciation for the decisive support, partnership, initiative and commitment of the Governor of Hunan Province in the collaborative actions we have implemented to advance agriculture and promote the development of the Municipality of Manatuto”, and concluded with the wish that the event would contribute to “the technology presented being adopted by all stakeholders for the common good, contributing to a future free of hunger and food crises for all the world's inhabitants”.
Minister Tomás do Rosário Cabral was accompanied at the event by the Ambassador of Timor-Leste's to the People's Republic of China, Loro Horta, and by the Presidents of the Municipal Authorities of Manatuto and Baucau, Luís Inácio Henriques Fernandes and Veneranda Eurico Marques Lemos Martins, respectively.
