Government of Timor-Leste

The Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister for Tourism and the Environment, Francisco Kalbuady Lay, is on an official visit to Macau on March 26^th to 27^th, 2025, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation and participating in the Global Carbon Credits Market Development Forum. 

This forum, part of the 2025 edition of the Macau International Environmental Cooperation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF), aims to promote dialogue between governments and companies, both Chinese and international, deepen exchanges in the carbon market and contribute to the diversification of the environmental industry. The event is being held at the Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao, under the theme “Innovation and Green Development - Solutions for Building Beautiful Cities”, and also includes professional conferences, the launch of carbon neutrality guidelines and other parallel activities. 

In his speech, Francisco Kalbuady Lay highlighted the importance of Timor-Leste's participation in international forums on energy transition and environmental sustainability, reiterating the government's commitment to adopting public policies that reconcile economic growth with the preservation of natural resources.

Also on March 27^th, the Vice Prime-Minister will meet with the Secretary-General of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macau), Ji Xianzheng, in a meeting that will also be attended by the organization's three Deputy Secretaries-General. This meeting aims to reinforce the commitments made by Timor-Leste at the Forum's 6th Ministerial Conference, held in April 2024, when Francisco Kalbuady Lay led the Timorese delegation and signed the 2024-2027 Three-Year Action Plan on behalf of the government. 

The national delegation also includes António Ramos da Silva, Timor-Leste's Delegate to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macau), who accompanies the Vice-Prime Minister to official meetings and activities.

The Vice-Prime Minister's visit also makes it possible to deepen cooperation between Timor-Leste and Macau, which is underpinned by historical, cultural and geographical ties. Among the priority areas for collaboration are tourism, access to higher education in Macanese institutions, scholarships granted by the Macau Foundation, the agreement to avoid double taxation, cooperation in the justice sector and the strengthening of institutional relations between the city of Dili and Macau.