East Timor’s Minister for Petroleum has warned Woodside Energy and told the Albanese government that offshore gas located between the two countries must be piped to East Timor and that other Asian countries are circling to develop the potential $US50 billion ($71 billion) energy resource.

Amid the escalating standoff with project operator Woodside over the stalled Greater Sunrise development in the Timor Sea, national security experts said if the gas was not developed soon one of Australia’s closest neighbours could run out of money by 2030 and be vulnerable to manipulation by China.