East Timor joining Asean in group's first expansion since 1990s
![East Timor's Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, fifth from left, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, center, prepare to sign the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN during the 47th Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 26. [AP/YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12074716.webp?imageId=12074716&width=960&height=496&format=jpg)
East Timor was formally admitted Sunday into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the group’s first expansion since the 1990s.
The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation — with just 1.4 million people — is being hailed as a symbolic step for regional inclusivity. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, was a Portuguese colony for over four centuries before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion.
Asean membership gives East Timor access to the bloc’s free trade deals, investment opportunities and a broader regional market — vital for diversifying an economy long reliant on oil and gas.
AP
