The great game for Greater Sunrise

Timor-Leste is caught between the competing interests of two major Asia-Pacific powers

Timor-Leste faces a stark choice in its search for a partner to develop its Greater Sunrise natural gas project, as its operational domestic fields approach end of life. Leaders in Dili must choose between the only two viable options: Chinese funding that threatens the country’s sovereignty or Australian investment that recalls perceived grossly lopsided resource-sharing arrangements. One day after its 20th independence day was celebrated on 30 August, Timor-Leste marked the completion of a maritime border treaty with Australia that secured it 70-80pc of Greater Sunrise revenues. The Sunrise and Troubadour fields are estimated to hold 5.1trn ft³ of gas and 226mn b/l of condensate with a comb