𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐀 𝐗𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐌𝐀̃𝐎 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍-𝐆𝐂𝐂-𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐔𝐌

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 27 May 2025
Your Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam
Your Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia and Co-Chair
Your Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad AlMubarak Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait and Co-Chair
Your Excellency Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China and Co-Chair
Your Highnesses, Excellencies, Leaders of ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the People’s Republic of China Distinguished Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great honour for Timor-Leste to participate in this Forum, which brings together three of the most dynamic engines of growth and cooperation in today’s world—ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the People’s Republic of China.
We come here not only as observers, but as a committed partner on the path toward full ASEAN membership and as a responsible member of the global community.
The topic of this Forum, Synergising Economic Opportunities Towards Shared Prosperity, comes at an important time as the world undergoes rapid economic, political and technological change.
These changes demand that we not only adapt but come together with a common purpose. Our shared prosperity depends upon our collective action.
Excellencies
In Timor-Leste, our journey of nation-building has taught us that regional cooperation is essential to resilience and that the benefits of growth are greatest when they are shared.
As we deepen our engagement with ASEAN, the GCC and China, we see this Forum as a platform to align on mutual priorities— trade and investment, energy and food security, digital innovation and infrastructure.
We support efforts to enhance connectivity—physical, economic and human. Initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid and China’s Belt and Road cooperation can play a key role in linking our regions and unlocking shared opportunity.
And above all, it is people who drive progress.
We must invest in people-to-people exchanges, especially through education, tourism and mobility for workers and professionals. These human connections build understanding, foster trust and sustain long-term partnerships.
Timor-Leste remains firmly committed to sustainable and inclusive development. Like many of our neighbours, we are working to diversify our economy and build a strong economic foundation for the future.
Excellencies,
In the face of global uncertainty, we must come together in cooperation and friendship
As an aspiring member of ASEAN, Timor-Leste is undergoing comprehensive reforms to align with ASEAN’s economic, political and institutional frameworks.
Let us reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism, sustainable development and inclusive partnerships, so that our shared aspirations may result in real progress and lasting benefits for all our peoples.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡.
𝐊𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐗𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐮𝐬𝐦𝐚̃𝐨
LINK (Média-GPM)