Reuters-Exclusive Timor president says China military cooperation never discussed
September 29, 2023 4 min 709 words
这则报道涉及到东帝汶总统何塞·拉莫斯-奥尔塔关于与中国的军事合作的表态。拉莫斯-奥尔塔表示，东帝汶在升级外交关系时从未讨论过与中国的军事合作，他还强调澳大利亚和印尼不必担心，因为东帝汶不会对其邻国构成安全威胁。 这一表态在澳大利亚引起警觉，因为中国越来越自信地试图与澳大利亚附近的发展中国家建立安全关系，引发了堪培拉的警惕，并导致澳大利亚重新关注保护其北部地区的国防。报道提到，东帝汶最近与中国总统习近平在中国会面期间签署的综合战略框架涵盖了农业和基础设施方面的发展合作，同时也包括了来自中国的政府和商业贷款的资金支持。 总统拉莫斯-奥尔塔强调，目前东帝汶尚未从中国获得任何贷款，但未来可能会请求贷款，不过他们不会接受不可管理、不可持续的高利息贷款。此外，有一些澳大利亚政治家对中国国家媒体在周六报道与东帝汶的协议涵盖了军事交流表示担忧。 总统拉莫斯-奥尔塔明确表示，从未在军事合作方面进行讨论，中方也从未提出过这个问题。他还表示，东帝汶的目标是在2025年加入东南亚地区的ASEAN，因此不会引入可能被东盟其他国家视为危及其中立或和平安全政策的外部元素。 此外，报道提到东帝汶与澳大利亚有广泛的安全合作，澳大利亚也是东帝汶的最大援助国，为东帝汶提供军事和警察顾问以及巡逻艇。总统拉莫斯-奥尔塔还强调，中国主要支持东帝汶的基础设施建设，包括政府建筑、金融、农业和卫生领域。 总之，总统拉莫斯-奥尔塔的表态旨在平息澳大利亚和其他国家对于中国与东帝汶关系的担忧，并强调东帝汶不会危及地区安全，同时寻求从多方面获得支持来解决食品安全和农业挑战等问题。这一表态也突显了东帝汶在地缘政治中的复杂地位和对外部支持的渴望。
East Timor has not discussed military cooperation with China in its upgrade of diplomatic ties, President Jose Ramos-Horta said, adding Australia and Indonesia can "sleep at peace" because the island nation won't be a security concern to its neighbours.
China's increasing assertiveness in efforts to form security ties with developing countries in close proximity to Australia have raised alarm bells in Canberra, and a recent shakeup of Australia's defence has refocused on protecting its northern approaches.
A Comprehensive Strategic Framework signed by East Timor during a meeting between Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and China's President Xi Jinping in China last week covered development cooperation in agriculture and infrastructure, the Nobel laureate said in a telephone interview with Reuters.
The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said.
"Right now we don't have a single loan from China," he said. "In the future we might request a loan from China ... We will not accept any unmanageable, unsustainable loan with too high interest payment."
Some Australian politicians expressed concern after China's state media reported on Saturday that Beijing's agreement with East Timor, around 700km (450 miles) north-west of Australia, also covered military exchanges.
China struck a security pact with Solomon Islands, 2,000km (1,200 miles) to Australia's north-east last year, heightening Canberra's wariness about Beijing's naval ambitions.
"It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said.
East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates.
"We would never bring in a foreign element into Timor Leste that would be viewed by the rest of ASEAN as endangering ASEAN policy of neutrality or peace and security," he said.
"Indonesia and Australia, we can include Singapore and Malaysia they are the countries that are closest to us, can always sleep at peace - Timor Leste is not going to be a nuisance, a concern in terms of security."
Timor has extensive security cooperation with Australia, which is also its top aid donor, with Canberra providing military and police advisers and patrol boats, he said. "This is so far only with Australia," he said.
China's support was primarily in infrastructure including government buildings, finance, agriculture and health, he said.
A large delegation of Chinese companies arrived in East Timor's capital Dili on Thursday to continue discussions on potential investment in oil and gas projects, he said.
The main focus for East Timor is finalising a joint venture agreement with Australian company Woodside Energy (WDS.AX) for the joint development of the Greater Sunrise gas project, he said.
East Timor is looking to start producing natural gas from its Greater Sunrise fields around 2030, which will be critical to the Southeast Asia island nation's economy.
Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia.
Ramos-Horta said food security remains a major issue for East Timor, 22 years after gaining independence from Indonesia, and it needed investment in irrigation and roads, and to provide financial incentives to farmers to "feed its people".
Australia, as one of the world's most developed agriculture nations, should commit funds and technology to the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, along with European nations and the United States, to address the agriculture challenges being posed by climate change to small farmers globally, he said.
"Otherwise we are heading to human tragedy in years to come," he said.
At the Global Citizen conference in New York last week, Ramos-Horta also supported calls for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, backed by six Pacific Islands countries, that puts pressure on Australia as a major coal exporter.
The Australian public "have been our best friends", he added.