The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, met with the Ambassador of China in Timor-Leste, Xiao Jianguo, on June 9, 2020, at the Government Palace in Dili. The meeting addressed the chinese cooperation programmes in Timor-Leste, including China’s support in the fight against COVID-19 and new areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The Ambassador of China took stock of the various areas of Chinese cooperation and support actions to the Government’s response to COVID-19, highlighted donations of medical equipment and supplies, with the first batch of products arriving in Timor-Leste in early March at the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport, in a shipment that included a thermal imaging camera for temperature monitoring. Since the arrival of this first batch of medical products, the Chinese Government has already donated to Timor-Leste a large amount of masks and protective suits, visors, medical gloves, thermometers and portable fans.

Xiao Jianguo expressed his readiness to continue supporting Timor-Leste not only in the area of  health but also in other areas of cooperation and added that once the economic recovery plan is ready, the Government can count on China for the support that is needed. The Diplomat also said that China will provide a total of US$2 billion over the next two years to help respond to COVID-19 and the economic and social development of the countries most affected by the pandemic, especially developing countries.

The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers thanked China for its support in Timor-Leste, namely in the rapid response by providing medical equipment and supplies for the fight against COVID-19.

He explained that a framework of COVID-19 prevention measures is being finalised, in a joint work of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of the Interior. The Governor also referred to the preliminary presentation, made by the President of the commission for the preparation of the economic recovery plan to the Council of Ministers, on the short-term measures to be approved and implemented in 2020, with the aim of supporting the satisfaction of the basic needs of citizens, supporting informal sector workers, maintaining jobs and incomes and keeping companies in the market.