Chinese Navy Visit Concludes
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Dili, January 20th, 2016
Chinese Navy Visit Concludes
Today the five-day visit of a Chinese Navy task force to Timor-Leste concluded as the Chinese destroyer “Jinan”, frigate “Yiyang” and supply ship “Qiandao Hu” sailed out of Dili harbor. The official visit of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Escort Task Group 152 was a first for Timor-Leste and a symbol of enhanced bilateral relations between the two countries.
During the visit Timor-Leste’s Minister of Defense, H.E. Cirilo Cristóvão, recognized the People’s Republic of China as steadfast supporters of Timor-Leste’s “fight for independence to be a sovereign State in the world” and said that it was “a great pleasure to see bilateral relations in the defense area being strengthened.”
Cooperation between the two countries in the defense area has included the construction of the Ministry of Defense Building, visits of Timorese Defense Officials to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense and the Headquarters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the professionalization of the FDTL through Army-to-Army contact including training of FDTL members at the China Military Academy.
Minister Cristóvão said that Timor-Leste was looking to learn from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s “large and extensive experience on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief” and noted that this would be a feature of ongoing bilateral relations in defense. Through this cooperation, he said, Timor-Leste could increase its capacity to be “an active agent to strengthen regional and international security.”
During the visit officers and soldiers of the Task Force met with their Timorese counterparts, conducted an Anti-Piracy Seminar and engaged in sporting competitions. The Commodore of the Task Force Wang Jianxun met with the Commander of the Timor-Leste Defense Force, Major General Lere Anan Timur.
Spokesperson for the Sixth Constitutional Government, Minister of State Agio Pereira noted “this official visit of the Chinese Navy Task Force is another positive development in a long history of support and cooperation between Timor-Leste and China. The Government appreciates the strengthening of our bilateral relations through these interactions and the ongoing efforts to build friendly and constructive cooperation between our two nations.”
