ASEAN Membership Boost: Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta says full ASEAN membership is already speeding up infrastructure and investment, from hotels and conference halls to road expansion and urban renewal, with legal alignment to ASEAN treaties targeted before 2029. Digital Government & Trade Facilitation: Timor-Leste officially launched verify.gov.tl, a national digital document verification portal built with Cambodia’s technical support, using a QR-based authenticity model to strengthen transparency and public service delivery under a 2025 digital transformation cooperation deal. Energy & Offshore Investment: Finder Energy submitted key documents for the Kuda Tasi and Jahal (KTJ) oil fields in the Timor Sea, advancing its EIS and field development plan through approvals, while Amplus Energy issued an invitation to tender for redeploying the Petrojarl I FPSO for the project. Regional Security Diplomacy: Ramos-Horta used the Shangri-La Dialogue to argue that prevention and dialogue matter as much as defense spending, warning that missiles and submarines can’t rebuild trust or stop deeper human and economic damage.