Published on the 16th May, Nuno Canas Mendes’s paper Uncertainty clouds Timor-Leste’s admission to ASEAN in the East Asia Forum discusses concerns on the conditions for admission into ASEAN by Timor-Leste despite clear potential benefits for its economic growth. However, there are reservations on its readiness and the potential impacts on ASEAN’s own progress. Alongside these, further uncertainties are considered related to its geopolitics stance, oil-dependency, underdeveloped infrastructure and need for economic diversification.
The article can be read on the East Asia Forum website, and is open access (see link below). A follow-up article will be published in the last quarter of the year, discussing effective admission of Timor-Leste to ASEAN.
https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/05/16/uncertainty-clouds-timor-lestes-admission-to-asean/