What changed
Australia and Timor-Leste signed a defence framework in Dili on October 22, expanding cooperation on cybersecurity and maritime security.
Australia will provide A$62 million for cybersecurity, maritime security, infrastructure, disaster relief and training. It will also give Timor-Leste three additional police vessels and significantly increase defence exercises, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.
Why it matters
The agreement gives Timor-Leste more tools for problems it says are immediate: organised crime and illegal fishing. It also strengthens Australia’s role as Timor-Leste’s largest defence and security partner.
The geography makes the relationship hard to ignore. Timor-Leste sits around 700km north-west of Australia and became independent from Indonesia in 2002. For Dili, the pact brings funding, vessels and training across several practical areas. For Canberra, it is part of a wider effort to limit China’s security role among Pacific island neighbours.
China’s defence minister met Timor-Leste’s leaders in Dili in August and offered to take military-to-military relations to a new level. Australia has also raised concerns about China’s expanding navy and the presence of Chinese police in several Pacific island countries.
The agreement’s effect on China’s regional role is not yet measurable. Much will depend on how quickly the money, vessels, exercises and training become operational.
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