On May 4, 2016, Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou met respectively in Dili with Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araújo, and former Prime Minister and current Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment Xanana Gusmão of East Timor.

Rui Maria de Araújo said that China is one of the earliest countries that have established diplomatic relations with East Timor and has given strong support to East Timor in its struggle for national independence and construction. East Timor's development is inseparable from China's help not only in capital and technology but also in experience and capacity. East Timor is deeply grateful for China's support and is willing to strengthen the docking of development strategies with China and explore new opportunities for cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

Xanana Gusmão said that East Timor is willing to strengthen production capacity cooperation in basic industries with China and welcomes China to actively participate in the cooperation with East Timor in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture and tourism.

Kong Xuanyou said that China pays high attention to developing the comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring good-neighborliness, friendliness, mutual trust and mutual benefit with East Timor, and is willing to propose the following suggestions on future bilateral cooperation. First, strengthen political exchanges. Second, promote the docking of development strategies. China is willing to push forward the docking of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" initiative and East Timor's Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030. Third, conduct cooperation in major projects. China is willing to strengthen bilateral cooperation with East Timor in areas such as agriculture, production capacity, tourism, infrastructure and human resource training and promote specific projects for substantive progress so as to benefit the two peoples and promote regional development and prosperity.

On May 5, Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou also met with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Hernâni Coelho of East Timor in Dili. Both sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional and international topics of common interest.