Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta says his country could join Chinese-led military exercises

Timor Leste’s president has signalled a potential partnership with China in a move that is bound to raise alarm bells in Canberra on national security.

Timor Leste could join Chinese-led military exercises in a move that is bound to spark concern among the Australian government as Beijing continues to assert its dominance in the region.

The president of Timor Leste, also known as East Timor, Jose Ramos Horta told broadcaster RTTL that the Pacific nation’s participation would be on the condition the drills were not aimed at “any perceived hostile entity,” reported the ABC.

Just earlier this month, China’s military said it had completed two days of live-fire exercises that included simulated strikes on key ports and energy sites aimed at Taiwan, with the US calling them “intimidation tactics”.

Australia was put on high alert in February when three Chinese navy vessels navigated down the east coast.

Meanwhile, Australia was put on high alert in February when three Chinese navy vessels navigated down the east coast, passing within 270km of Sydney, and conducted two live fire drills in the Tasman Sea.

Australia has been closely tracking Timor Leste’s relationship with Beijing, particularly since the neighbouring country – located just 650km from northern Australia – adopted a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in 2023.

The president said his country had already taken part in joint military drills with Australia and China, arguing the same principle should apply to China.

He has previously said his country has no intention of being drawn into any of Beijing’s security rivalries.

Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta told says his country would participate with China on the condition the drills are not aimed at any perceived hostile entity. Picture: Juliao Fernandes Guterres

National security became a hot topic in Canberra after China sent three of its warships to circumnavigate close to Australian waters where they then conducted live-fire drills between Australia and New Zealand.

The move sparked a war of words between Beijing and Canberra after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Chinese authorities had not given a “satisfactory” explanation for the move.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian then disputed the Australian government’s version of events, saying it had issued repeated safety notices.

Reports also surfaced this week that Russia had requested to station long range aircraft at an Indonesian military base just 1400 kilometres from Darwin, sparking further concern about national security in the region.

Defence Minister Richard Marles says reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

Jakarta assured Australia that the reports were incorrect, while Defence Minister Richard Marles said the “reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true”.

Mr Marles said the denial from Indonesian authorities followed a conversation between him and his counterpart in Jakarta.

The Defence Minister has so far not ruled out if the Russian government made an approach to the Indonesians.

Australia has also injected more money into national security, where ahead of Tuesday’s federal budget in March, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher revealed spending over the next four years has grown by 20 per cent compared to the funding in forward estimates prior to Labor taking office.

She said this had put the government “on track” to achieve its goal of lifting Defence spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP within the decade, adding there was a “lot going on in the world” that made it critical to find the room for further security funding in the budget.

Originally published as Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta says his country could join Chinese-led military exercises