Timor-Leste’s entry into ASEAN: A 14-year journey and its significance

ASEAN countries signed a declaration on October 26, formally accepting Timor-Leste as the 11th member state of ASEAN.

This not only signifies that Timor-Leste has finally gained recognition after 14 years of effort but also marks ASEAN's first expansion since the signing of the ASEAN Charter in 2007 and the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

Timor-Leste's accession is an important milestone in its national development and a key step for ASEAN in promoting regional integration and enhancing strategic autonomy.

The journey is not smooth.

As the youngest country in Southeast Asia, Timor-Leste has consistently regarded joining ASEAN as a core objective of its foreign policy since independence. However, this journey has not been smooth.

Due to concerns about Timor-Leste's level of economic development and its potential impact on unity within ASEAN, some member states initially rejected its admission.

Nevertheless, ASEAN has been adhering to its long-standing "ASEAN Way", with the core principles being "non-interference in internal affairs and consensus-building". The member states ultimately overcame differences and reached a consensus through patient dialogue and pragmatic consultation.

Thanks to its own efforts, Timor-Leste has also met the seven basic requirements for joining ASEAN, demonstrating its determination and capability to integrate into the regional system.

Why does ASEAN's expansion matter at present?

Since its founding in 1967 by Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, ASEAN has undergone several expansions, with Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia being admitted in succession. It has gradually evolved into an important regional organization encompassing 650 million people and a market size of $3.8 trillion.

Despite significant differences among member states in terms of development stages, political systems, and cultural traditions, ASEAN has maintained internal stability and enhanced its regional and global influence by adhering to the basic principles of consensus-building and respect for sovereignty.

Against the backdrop of intensified major-power competition and the resurgence of bloc politics, Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN holds a special significance.

It is not only a major achievement in the building of the ASEAN Community but also reflects ASEAN's urgent need to accelerate integration and enhance overall resilience and strategic autonomy in a changing international landscape.

ASEAN countries are well aware that only by advancing internal integration and narrowing development gaps among member states, can they maintain cohesion and influence in the increasingly fierce international competition. Timor-Leste's accession is a concrete practice of this mindset.

What can Timor-Leste's accession bring?

From an economic perspective, Timor-Leste's integration into ASEAN will provide valuable opportunities for its access to regional markets, attraction of investment, and enhancement in industrial development.

With the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the deepening of the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN is emerging as a global hub for the transfer of industrial and value chains. Timor-Leste's accession will not only help combine its resource endowments with the factors of the ASEAN regional market but also contribute to the optimization of ASEAN's overall economic structure and the expansion of its market space.

In terms of regional cooperation, Timor-Leste's successful accession provides new opportunities for deepening relations between China and Timor-Leste, as well as between China and ASEAN.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Timor-Leste have maintained healthy and stable development in their bilateral ties. In 2023, the two countries lifted their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. In 2024, China and Timor-Leste formally committed to working towards a community with a shared future. Timor-Leste's membership in ASEAN will promote the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership and will be conducive to a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Looking ahead, Timor-Leste's accession will contribute to the realization of the "ASEAN Community Vision 2045." The entry of Timor-Leste shows that, even in the face of challenges and differences, regional cooperation can break through bottlenecks and achieve mutual benefits, as long as dialogue is upheld, differences are respected, and consensus is focused.

The entry is not only about a small country integrating into the regional system through persistence and effort, but also a strong proof that the "ASEAN Way" remains robust in the new context of times.

Genuine unity stems from the tolerance of differences, the pursuit of consensus, and the belief in a shared future. In a world full of uncertainties, the handshake between Timor-Leste and ASEAN is not only a geographical convergence but also a meeting of ideas and a sharing of futures. This, in essence, is the foundation for ASEAN's long-term development.

Writing by Bao Zhipeng (Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences); Editing by Zhang Ruogu, Zu Hongbing and Han Chengyuan; Translating by Wang Shixue

 

Bao Zhipeng