On the morning of September 5, 2025, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Zhao Leji held talks with President of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste Maria Fernanda Lay, who is in China for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War and pays a visit to China.

Zhao Leji said that last year, President Xi Jinping and President José Ramos-Horta reached important common understandings on the overarching direction of building a community with a shared future between China and Timor-Leste, opening up broad prospects for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to implement the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, carry forward traditional friendship, deepen strategic coordination, and advance bilateral relations toward the building of a community with a shared future at a faster pace, so as to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.

Zhao Leji pointed out that China firmly supports Timor-Leste in following a development path suited to its national conditions, and supports Timor-Leste in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and development interests. He expressed the belief that Timor-Leste will, as always, give firm support to China on issues concerning its core interests. The two sides should consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust and safeguard the growth of bilateral relations with high-level strategic mutual trust. The two sides should expand the scope of mutually beneficial cooperation, implement the Belt and Road cooperation plan, and create more practical results in areas such as industrial revitalization, infrastructure construction, agriculture, and healthcare. The two sides need to tighten the bonds of people-to-people connectivity, expand cooperation in education and sports as well as among the youth and at the sub-national level, and cement the foundation of public support for everlasting friendship between the two countries. The two sides should also strengthen solidarity and coordination in multilateral fora, advocate the correct historical view of World War II, defend international fairness and justice, and jointly promote peace, development and prosperity.

Noting that the NPC of China and the National Parliament of Timor-Leste have long maintained friendly exchanges, Zhao Leji said that the NPC of China is ready to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation among senior members of the legislative bodies, between bilateral friendship groups, and between deputies to the NPC and parliamentarians, deepen exchanges of experience on state governance, legislation and supervision, and better serve the development of bilateral relations. He said that the two sides should also step up coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and send a common voice of the Global South.

Maria Fernanda Lay extended congratulations on the successful commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. She expressed gratitude to China for its long-standing, significant assistance to and support for Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN. Timor-Leste remains unswervingly committed to the one-China principle and hopes to expand cooperation between both sides in such areas as infrastructure, scientific and technological innovation, renewable energy, agriculture and food security, development of special economic zones, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The National Parliament of Timor-Leste is willing to maintain close exchanges with the NPC of China, carry out exchanges and mutual learning on topics such as legislation and the development of democracy and the rule of law, and advance the growth of bilateral relations.

Tie Ning attended the talks.