The concern about the prospects of closer ties between Timor-Leste and China reflects the recent situation in countries like the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. In late 2021, Solomon Timor-Leste continues to receive extensive political, economic and security assistance from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, and the United Nations. Australia is the largest international donor to Timor-Leste, and it played a large role in providing stability in the new nation’s early years. Timor-Leste and Australia settled a long-standing Alison Roberts (Lisbon) 15/01/09. 01/15/2009. Timor Leste, also known as "East Timor", was a Portuguese colony for four centuries, and its historical and particularly religious heritage were Abstract. Timor-Leste, one of the world’s newest countries, gained its independence in 2002, after a protracted national liberation struggle against occupying Indonesian military forces and a brief period of United Nations rule. In 2006, the first independence government initiated a national adult literacy campaign, with the support of a team A protester holds a placard during a rally calling for the resolution of the maritime boundary between Timor-Leste and Australia outside the Australian Embassy in Dili (March 22, 2016). Timor-Leste’s high fertility and population growth rates sustain its very youthful age structure – approximately 40% of the population is below the age of 15 and the country’s median age is 20. While Timor-Leste’s total fertility rate (TFR) – the average number of births per woman – decreased significantly from over 7 in the early Coordinates: 8.55°S 125.56°E East Timor ( / ˈtiːmɔːr / ⓘ ), also known as Timor-Leste ( / tiˈmɔːr ˈlɛʃteɪ /; Portuguese pronunciation: [tiˈmoɾ ˈlɛʃtɨ] ), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. Its official designation is The Democratic Republic of Timor Leste. The Capital city is Dili. East Timor has a history of dependence, first on Portugal, then on Indonesia and then on the United Nations and then on NGOs and foreign aid. On May 20, 2002 Timor Leste became an independent nation. The population in 1975, when the Portuguese left, was 680,000 - 97% Timorese (including mestizos), 2% Chinese, under 1% Portuguese. (The population today is about 1.16 million people - 78% Timorese, 2% Chinese, 20% Indonesian. East Timor has a common boundary with West Timor, which is part of Indonesia, the former Dutch East Indies. UTC (GMT/Zulu)-time: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 11:08:59. UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, GMT is Greenwich Mean Time. Great Britain/United Kingdom is one hour ahead of UTC during summer. Note: Time differences regularly change as countries observe varying Daylight Saving Time (DST) schedules. The offsets listed are correct until Sunday IArjh.