Offshore Energy Contracts: Fugro won two more Timor-Leste Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources awards for Greater Sunrise TLNG and Bayu-Undan Pipeline Highway planning—six-month heavy geotechnical and 12-month metocean surveys to start in Q1 2027, using deepwater seabed/subsurface data to guide route selection. ASEAN Integration & Trade Rules: Timor-Leste is preparing about 60 legal instruments to fully integrate into ASEAN, with nearly 50 targeted for 2026–2027 across trade facilitation, competition, and customs reforms, while also reviewing RCEP requirements to protect domestic industry. Regional Market Push: Timor-Leste’s ASEAN debut at the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning is being used to connect agriculture, infrastructure and the digital economy to Chinese and ASEAN supply chains, with a focus on skills, industrial capacity and market access. Workforce Mobility: Australia’s PALM scheme confirmed 10 eligible countries for legal work placements, including Timor-Leste, aiming to address labour shortages in key sectors. Women-Led Enterprise: Timor-Leste is urging women-owned businesses to scale up from informal micro-trading into local production and processing to boost domestic output and reduce import reliance. Cultural Heritage Protection: Tutuala’s cultural landscape and Portuguese-origin architecture in Dili and Liquiçá were designated National Cultural Heritage, creating a legal basis for conservation and promotion.