Timor-Leste Invites Malaysian Investors To Tap Infrastructure Opportunities
PETALING JAYA, June 15 (Bernama) -- Timor-Leste is inviting Malaysian investors to explore investment opportunities and secure project contracts in the country as it embarks on extensive infrastructure development, said President José Ramos-Horta.
He said the country’s development is supported by an extensive pipeline of infrastructure projects financed through its sovereign wealth fund and development loans from multilateral institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
“We don’t have any borrowing from commercial banks. We have zero debt to commercial banks. Our debt is less than 14 per cent of our gross domestic product.
“We have a small sovereign fund that invests internationally in more than 1,000 portfolios. The returns from our sovereign fund are many times higher than the interest we pay on loans from the ADB and other institutions,” he said during a dialogue session titled “A Changing World, Enduring Values” at Taylor’s University here today.
Ramos-Horta said that among Timor-Leste’s development projects are the Dili International Convention Centre which is expected to be completed before 2029, a landmark development to strengthen the country’s tourism and events sector ahead of its ASEAN chairmanship in 2029, as well as its Dili International Port.
Timor-Leste, which has set an ambitious goal to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2029, officially became the 11th member state of ASEAN, with its full accession formalised during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur last year, concluding a 14-year journey since its initial application in 2011.
In a separate development, Ramos-Horta said these factors represent significant opportunities in the coming months and years to deepen economic cooperation and expand business ties with Malaysia and other countries in the region.
He also noted a growing number of Malaysians travelling to Timor-Leste, supported by improved air connectivity between the two countries.
“In Timor-Leste, there are two airlines flying to Dili now, direct from Kuala Lumpur. One is Batik Air and the other is Timorese airline Aero Dili,” he said.
He added that Aero Dili currently operates one flight a week to Kuala Lumpur, while Batik Air operates three flights weekly.
“The plane is always full from Malaysia (compared to) from Singapore, or even from Bali, Indonesia. This illustrates the level of Malaysians' interest about Timor-Leste,” he added.
Ramos-Horta arrived in Malaysia for a five-day special visit on June 13.
Malaysia–Timor-Leste trade was valued at US$18.72 million (RM85.68 million) in 2024, with exports amounting to US$18.37 million (RM84.06 million) and imports at US$0.35 million (RM1.62 million).
-- BERNAMA