Sunday, 26 October 2025

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East Timor, Asia's youngest nation, becomes ASEAN's 11th member

 Published: 11:38, 26 October 2025

East Timor, Asia's youngest nation, becomes ASEAN's 11th member

Asia's youngest nation East Timor on Sunday became the 11th member of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, fulfilling a vision set out by its current president nearly a half-century ago while under Portuguese rule.

Also known as Timor-Leste, the country of 1.4 million people is among Asia's poorest and hopes to see gains from integrating its fledgling economy, which at about $2 billion represents only a tiny fraction of ASEAN's collective $3.8 trillion gross domestic product.

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