S’pore wants to help Timor-Leste contribute to ASEAN: PM Wong

DILI – Singapore wants to help Timor-Leste not just benefit but also contribute fully as an ASEAN member, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on July 3.

Being part of the regional bloc is not just about benefiting from the membership, but also about what countries can contribute to it, he said.

Speaking to Singapore media at the end of his two-day visit to Timor-Leste, PM Wong said that Singapore is “doing as much as we can” with an update to an existing support package previously launched to help the country get into ASEAN.

He had announced on July 3 at a joint press conference with his Timorese counterpart that Singapore would upgrade the package to help the newest ASEAN member integrate fully into the bloc.

Timor-Leste officially became ASEAN’s 11th member state on Oct 26, 2025, after it had first applied for membership to the regional grouping in 2011 and was granted observer status in 2022.

“Our next phase is to help Timor-Leste not just benefit but also contribute as an ASEAN member, and they intend to do so because they have aspirations to chair ASEAN in 2029,” said PM Wong.

He was responding to a question on what else Singapore could do to help Timor-Leste integrate and participate more effectively in the bloc’s work, and how it could also help with Timor-Leste’s chairmanship in the future.

As part of the expanded package, Singapore will organise tailored workshops on the duties of the ASEAN chairmanship for officials in Dili and welcome attachments by Timorese officials to Singapore’s chairmanship teams when it takes on the role in 2027.

Said PM Wong: “All of us who have gone through ASEAN chairmanships know it is a massive and significant responsibility and undertaking. That is why we are again leaning forward to say we will support them, we support their aspirations.”

Reflecting on his visit to Timor-Leste, which was the first-ever for a Singapore prime minister, PM Wong said that he felt a sense of confidence and optimism from the Timorese officials about their future, especially as the country enters a new phase with its membership in ASEAN.

“It’s an ongoing journey for them. It’s an important phase of their development, and Singapore hopes to play a part in this,” he said.

When asked about the timing of his visit, PM Wong noted the two countries’ longstanding relationship, with Singapore being among the first countries to commit personnel for peacekeeping operations back in 1999. Timor-Leste became independent in 2002.

He said his visit comes at a “natural point” with Timor-Leste having become a full member of ASEAN. Said PM Wong: “I think this is a good occasion to visit and to elevate our partnership and to do more together.

“The membership in ASEAN gives us opportunities to expand our areas of cooperation, and that’s exactly why we are setting up this new mechanism for bilateral consultations, which we have also with other ASEAN members, and now we have likewise with Timor-Leste.”

He said the two countries are “adding substance” to their relationship with a new agreement for an established consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, along with deeper cooperation in areas like human resource development, education and healthcare.

He said: “I believe with the development plans that Timor-Leste has and also their continued aspirations as a full member of ASEAN, there will be even more opportunities for cooperation.”

Some of these opportunities will also be for Singapore businesses, he noted.

Several “intrepid” Singaporeans have already entered Timor-Leste’s emerging market. As Timor-Leste diversifies its economy, it hopes to branch out beyond oil and gas to new areas like hospitality, infrastructure and the blue economy, said PM Wong.

“There may well be new opportunities for Singapore businesses, and our business associations may be interested, for example, to mount a business mission here, get businesses to come, so that they can see for themselves what these opportunities are.”

There is room for optimism in Timor-Leste’s long-term potential as it is a young nation with a youthful population, resources, and the potential to grow much more than where it is now, said PM Wong.

“But for businesses coming into any emerging market, they have to come in with their eyes open, recognising that there are always going to be complexities when you go overseas, and businesses have to take the long view and have to find good local partners,” he added.

He said while governments cannot guide businesses in making these decisions, he was encouraged by his interactions with the Singaporean community in Timor-Leste, some of whom have started businesses in a wide range of different areas.

“Of course, not everyone is as successful; that is the nature of business. But quite a number of them are thriving, and they are excited and optimistic about the prospects ahead,” he said.

He encouraged Singaporeans to visit the South-east Asian nation, citing its diverse culture and people.

“Make the effort to learn local cultures, local norms, learn a little bit of the local language, understand the people where they are.

“Do not just come in presuming that people want to learn from us. They do, but I think, in many ways, we can learn from them as well.”