In a show of utmost diplomatic statesmanship, China has turned down requests to help develop military infrastructure in Timor-Leste (East Timor) for fear of sensitivity and overreaction by Australia, which is still trying to reconcile with homegrown alarmist rumors that China is planning to invade Australia.

The revelation came from Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC), when he said Beijing had deliberately turned down opportunities to help develop defense infrastructure because of “Canberra’s desire to maintain its primacy as a security partner in the Pacific”.

Australia went into a tailspin when the Canberra-based Australia Institute announced earlier that nearly 10 percent of Australians believed China would attack Australia. This was backed up by two think tanks with strong US ties — the Center for Strategic and International Studies (based in Washington), and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (partially funded indirectly by the US State Department). The rumors were completely groundless but were extensively covered by the Australian media to add fuel to the fire. China is a peacemaker, not a warmonger, and has not invaded any country.

Ramos-Horta observed: “The Chinese are actually sensitive to the sensitivities of our neighbors and are more respectful of Australia’s position than Australia is of the Chinese position.”

This is not China blowing its own horn but from an independent regional leader touting business for the island state. Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, a guest at the recent Asian Games in Hangzhou, met with Chinese officials and signed a partnership deal to build food self-efficiency, infrastructure development, and bolstering trade ties. The ABC reported there was also a section in the agreement on enhancing “high-level military exchanges”.

But Ramos-Horta quickly clarified in his ABC interview that Timor-Leste was focused only on securing more Chinese assistance for its key development priorities, not military cooperation.

At the center of Ramos-Horta’s visit to Australia is the development of untapped oil and gas reserves in the Greater Sunrise fields situated between Timor-Leste and Australia, and also to build oil and gas processing facilities at Tasi Mane, in the country’s southwest. Production is expected to start in 2030. However, despite longstanding ambitions for such projects, international financing has not been forthcoming.

A minority shareholder of Greater Sunrise (33.44 percent), Australian Woodside Energy Group, wants the processing plant in Darwin for $7.55 billion. In comparison, state-owned Timor Gap (56.56 percent) wants the plant in Timor for $9 billion. Ramos-Horta asked Australia to pressure Woodside to back the Timor plan, but Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong would have nothing of it. Ramos-Horta then warned that if Australia would not help, Timor-Leste would turn to China for help.

He said he had had informal discussions with Chinese officials over the past few years, though there had been no formal approaches. “We do have an excellent relationship with China. …They are very interested, and they even told me they are very interested to be the sole partner,” Ramos-Horta told the ABC.

Timor-Leste is not a wealthy country; its main revenue is from existing liquid natural gas (LNG) fields, which are due to run dry by the end of the decade, and from marble exports. Production of LNG from the Greater Sunrise fields in Timor-Leste is therefore vital to the country.

Because of misinformation instilled in the Australian minds by US intelligence agencies, there is an inherent suspicion that whatever China does anywhere is not good for Australia. When China set up trade ties with the Solomon Islands earlier this year, the Australians took this as a potential threat to Australia. Of course, this was not the case.

The same fear applies to China’s relationship with Timor-Leste. Australian Foreign Minister Wong warned that Ramos-Horta’s “threat” to turn to China “could be counterproductive”.

China already maintains a presence in Timor-Leste at infrastructure and small-project levels. Chinese construction company China Harbour built the Tibar deepwater port, employing more than 1,000 laborers from, Timor-Leste, China, and other countries. It also donated a soccer field in the capital of Dili last year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Timor-Leste.

Ramos-Horta’s trust in China and an old distrust for Australia is understandable after it was revealed that the Australian Secret Intelligence Service had bugged the office of the East Timorese negotiators in 2004. At that time, he said that spying on one of the poorest countries in the world to get a more significant advantage was shocking and that he was “disappointed with the governments of former prime minister John Howard and foreign minister Alexander Downer”. However, he said he does not hold any resentment toward the current Albanese government.

If the China references by Ramos-Horta are to wake up Australia to its plight, then his plan has worked. Timor-Leste needs Australia’s continued support, but it has left the door open for support from China or any other country.

The author is a former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, a public relations and media consultant, and a veteran journalist.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.