As US and China compete in the Indo-Pacific, Australia pledges to boost East Timor naval base
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to invest in naval infrastructure in East Timor, as he visited the country to mark the 20th anniversary of a referendum that eventually gave it independence
- Australia is trying to be a better neighbour amid US-China competition in the region, analysts said
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to invest in naval infrastructure in East Timor and provide an undersea internet cable to boost the island nation’s communications services as he visited Dili on Friday.
Morrison said his government would fund an upgrade to the Hera Naval Base on the country’s north coast, near its capital, to support the operation of two Guardian class patrol boats Australia will donate in 2023. Australia will also link the nation to an Australian undersea fibre optic cable system, and pay for the initial engineering and design work, according to a government statement.
Morrison also formalised a long-awaited agreement on a maritime boundary between the two nations that lie just a few hundred kilometres apart, as East Timor marked the 20th anniversary of a referendum that won it independence.
“This is a new chapter for Australia and Timor-Leste that is based on our shared respect, interests and values,” said Morrison.
East Timor researcher at Australia National University (ANU) Ivo Mateus Goncalves said the boundary agreement was “a new phase of reconciliation”.
