Timorese Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Domingos Lopes Antunes has urged Chinese investors to contribute to the development of the industrial park in Tibar Bay, on the outskirts of the Timorese capital, the Chinese Embassy in Dili says.

The embassy issued  a written statement quoting Mr Lopes Antunes as inviting Chinese companies to set up businesses in the park.

The statement quotes Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Xiao Jianguo as saying he will encourage Chinese companies to join in the project, and that his country is ready to strengthen Sino-Timorese business ties.

Mr Lopes Antunes appealed to Chinese to help the Timorese economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, and thanked China for the help it had given so far, the Chinese Embassy says.

In March the Timorese state-run news agency, ANTIL, reported that Chinese state-owned China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd was building a deepwater container port in Tibar Bay, the first in Timor-Leste.