Kuala Lampur, Jan. 28 -- Anthony Albanese's visit to Timor-Leste on January 28-29 takes place in a regional setting that has shifted in quiet but consequential ways. Since October 26, 2025, Timor-Leste is no longer an Asean aspirant but a full member of the organisation. This does not transform the country's regional position overnight, but it does alter the diplomatic frame within which Australia now engages Dili.

The visit, therefore, is about how Australia responds to a neighbour whose regional status has changed, even if the structural asymmetries in the bilateral relationship have not entirely disappeared. The significance of Albanese's presence lies less in symbolism than in whether Australia recalibrates its assumptions about Timo...