Why Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Membership Matters to the Philippines

MANILA — Timor-Leste’s entry as the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) marks a new chapter for regional cooperation — one that carries strategic implications for the Philippines as it navigates tensions in the South China Sea and pushes for a rules-based Indo-Pacific.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., attending the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, welcomed Dili’s accession, which expands the bloc’s collective market to about 680 million people and reinforces its political and security clout amid growing regional rivalries. The Philippines will assume ASEAN’s chairmanship next year.

ASEAN Mandate

For Manila, Timor-Leste’s inclusion strengthens ASEAN’s voice on maritime governance, energy cooperation, and inclusive economic growth — issues central to the Philippines’ foreign policy priorities.

“Manila has been active in helping Dili in capacitating its human resource,” said Chester Cabalza, president of the International Development and Security Cooperation think tank. “The shift to more regionwide issues on economic development and active regional integration — notwithstanding maritime security — will help ASEAN fulfill its mandate as the main driver of diplomatic and defense cooperation in the region.”

Timor-Leste, strategically located between Southeast Asia and the Pacific, could also serve as a bridge for greater connectivity between ASEAN and its Pacific neighbors, including Australia and New Zealand. Political analyst Hansley Juliano of Ateneo de Manila University said this could help balance the bloc’s internal dynamics.

“Timor-Leste’s entry is good insofar as it balances out ASEAN and the pro-China people,” Juliano said. “But if Timor-Leste is also driven by circumstance to be pro-China, it will be a challenge.”

Adherence to International Norms

The Philippines, which continues to assert its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea amid China’s growing assertiveness, sees ASEAN unity as critical to maintaining regional stability. The 2016 Hague tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims remains a legal cornerstone for Manila — but enforcing it requires collective ASEAN support.

Cabalza added that Timor-Leste’s participation could reinforce the bloc’s adherence to international norms. “Now as a member of ASEAN, I believe Dili will embrace international rules-based norms since it is a key maritime route in the region,” he said.

Timor-Leste, a former Portuguese colony, began its application for ASEAN membership in 2011. The bloc admitted “in principle” the tiny nation in 2022. Its full admission this year formalizes a decade-long aspiration to join the regional community.

“This is not the end of a journey. This is the beginning of an inspiring new chapter,” Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão said at the summit.

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