Timor-Leste and the Chinese Province of Hunan Strengthen Cooperation in the Natural Resources and Higher Education Sectors
The Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, paid an official visit to Hunan Province in the People’s Republic of China on September 16th and 17th, 2026 to strengthen cooperation with Timor-Leste in geology, mining, higher education, and sustainable development.
As part of the visit, the Minister attended the opening of the training seminar on “Mining and Sustainable Development” at the Hunan Provincial Academy of Geology, which was intended for mid-level and senior officials from Timor-Leste.
The seminar, jointly organised by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Hunan Provincial Committee and the Hunan Provincial Academy of Geology, lasts nine days and includes participants from Timorese institutions, including the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of State Administration.
The training covers areas such as mineral prospecting, green mine development, environmental management, ecological restoration of mining areas, and geological disaster prevention, drawing on the experience and technical expertise developed in Hunan Province.
At the opening ceremony, Minister Tomás do Rosário Cabral emphasised the need to strengthen geological knowledge and specialised human resources in Timor-Leste to support the sustainable exploitation of mineral resources and their contribution to national economic development.
The Minister advocated deepening technical cooperation and exchanging human resources and expressed interest in developing joint initiatives in mineral prospecting, ecological restoration, and hydrogeological studies.
Cooperation in this sector also falls under the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Fields of Geology and Mining, concluded between the Hunan Academy of Geology and national institutions in the mineral resources and geosciences sector. The Academy expressed its intention to continue implementing the agreement and to provide technical support in geology.
Attending the ceremony were Mai Miao, Executive Vice-President of the Hunan People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Tan Wensheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Hunan Provincial Academy of Geology. Prior to the seminar’s opening, the Timorese delegation visited the Academy’s geological exhibition, dedicated to the evolution of the geological sector, the province’s mineral resources, and international cooperation.
Cooperation between Timor-Leste and Hunan also benefits from the friendly relations established between Hunan Province and the Municipality of Manatuto, which have supported exchange and cooperation initiatives across various sectors.
The Minister of State Administration also visited Hunan Normal University in Changsha, where he met the Rector, Professor Liu Hong, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in higher education, teacher training, and student exchanges.
During the meeting, the areas of education, health, and psychology were also addressed, along with possibilities for civil servant training and the development of scholarship programmes.
The Minister further highlighted the teaching of the Portuguese language at Hunan Normal University, which offers a course in this field, and emphasised the role of Portuguese language skills in strengthening academic and institutional exchanges with Timor-Leste.
Tomás do Rosário Cabral invited Chinese lecturers, researchers, and students to conduct research, teaching, and exchange activities in Timor-Leste, in collaboration with national professionals and institutions.
The delegation also visited the History Museum at Hunan Normal University and the Hunan Embroidery Museum.
The visit provided continuity to the cooperation between Timor-Leste and Hunan Province, with a particular focus on human resource capacity building, technical and academic exchange, and collaboration in the geology and mineral resources sectors.
