East Timor’s Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo vowed to develop closer ties with China after meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Chen Fengxiang, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, led a delegation for a two-day visit to East Timor.

“The new Government of East Timor will further boost co-operation between the two countries and co-operation among the parties of the two sides,” Xinhua quoted Mr Araujo saying in the meeting.

Mr Chen stated the Chinese Communist Party “is willing to promote exchanges” with major parties of East Timor, aiming to “consolidate the political foundation for…comprehensive co-operation”.

Official figures show the trade between China and East Timor in the first quarter of 2015 surged by 81.8 percent year-on-year to US$19 million.