Your Excellency, Mr. Domingos Lopes Antunes, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry,

Respectful Mr. Arcanjo da Silva, Director Executive of TradeInvest Timor-Leste,

Respectful Representative of Secretary of State for Cooperatives,

Respectful Mr. Evangelino M. Soares, President of Association Cafe Timor,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Good morning!

I am very glad to be here with you to witness the donation ceremony of the Chinese Embassy to the Association Cafe Timor(ACT). First of all, I would like to thank Your Excellency Deputy Minister Mr. Domingos and representatives of relevant government departments for attending the ceremony. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks for your long-term care and support for deepening industry and economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between China and Timor-Leste.

Agriculture is an important part of Timor-Leste’s economy. More than half of the families in the country are engaged in agricultural activities. Coffee, as an important crop in Timor-Leste, is the main export product and important source of government revenue and foreign exchange of the country, and also an important guarantee to achieve economic diversification and sustainable development in the future. In recent years, affected by climate change, price fluctuations in the international market and the COVID-19 epidemic, the coffee export of Timor-Leste has declined for two consecutive years. Especially in 2020, the export volume and export value of coffee both dropped by nearly 80% year-on-year, which caused a serious impact on trade, economy and people’s livelihood in Timor-Leste. Under this circumstance, at the request of the ACT,

the Chinese Embassy decided to donate US $20,000 to help the Association to develop the coffee industry, expand coffee exports, increase the income of coffee farmers. It is a vivid practice of deepening practical cooperation in the agricultural field between China and Timor-Leste under “the Belt and Road” initiative. It is a vivid embodiment of the China’s implementation of the “people-oriented” concept to improve people’s livelihood in Timor-Leste. It is also a realistic portrayal of the profound friendship between China and Timor-Leste in sharing the fate and overcoming difficulties together.

As we all know, Timor-Leste’s coffee has excellent taste and high quality without any chemical fertilizers. In particular, the organic wild civet excrement coffee(Coffee Luwak) has gradually become a national business card of Timor-Leste. It is well-known in China and the international market, and is deeply loved by consumers from all over the world, especially Chinese consumers. With a population of more than 1.4 billion and a middle-income group of more than 400 million, China has a huge coffee market. As the main export product to China, China has always actively supported and assisted Timor-Leste’s coffee products to expand the Chinese market. China has supported Timor-Leste’s enterprises to participate in the China International Import Expo for four consecutive years, provided free booths for them to display organic coffee and other specialty products, which further improved the popularity and reputation of Timor-Leste’s local coffee products. For example, in Shanghai Import Expo, the Coffee Luwak is popular as the most expensive and best coffee. The Chinese Embassy will continue to be committed to maintaining close communication with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry and the ACT, building a cooperation and exchange platform for the ACT of Timor-Leste and industry associations of Chinese coffee producing areas, so as to promote industrial cooperation, trade cooperation and human resource training and explore business opportunities in both market.

We are pleased to learn that since this year, the coffee trade between China and Timor-Leste has recovered steadily and the scale of trade has continued to expand. In March, the China’s Shanghai port welcomed the whole cabinet of Timor-Leste’s coffee beans imported in bulk trade for the first time, including 550 kg of Luwak coffee beans. From January to September, Timor-Leste’s coffee exports to China reached 261 tons, a year-on-year increase of 7.3 times. The export value reached US$1.64 million, a year-on-year increase of 32.5 times. I believe that with the joint efforts of all parties, the coffee trade between China and Timor-Leste will continue to grow. The export of Timor-Leste’s coffee products to China not only meets the needs of Chinese consumers, but also is of great significance to increase the income of Timor-Leste’s farmers, improve their lives and deepen bilateral economic and trade exchanges and cooperation .

Your Excellency Deputy Minister Mr. Domingos and President Mr. Evangelino,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Not long ago, in his keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Shanghai Expo, the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping stressed again that China will firmly share market opportunities with the world, pay more attention to expanding imports and promote balanced trade development. China and the Chinese Embassy are willing to work with the line ministries of Timor-Leste and the ACT to deepen bilateral agricultural and trade cooperation between the two countries under “the Belt and Road” initiative, to bring development opportunities and benefits to more companies and people in Timor-Leste, and to make a greater contribution to promoting friendly relations and deepening the traditional friendship between China and Timor-Leste.

Thank you!