Two sides need to resolve route for pipeline; President Ramos-Horta has previously suggested possible cooperation with China if talks fail.
Lusofonia
More than 4 million small farmers set to benefit growing rice, sunflowers, sesame, soybeans and cotton on 1.5 hectare plots.
IT and the oil and electricity sectors draw most Chinese interest; banking and automotive industries also flourishing.
Citizens from Brazil, Timor-Leste and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa will be granted visa on request.
Mário Caetano João points to African republic’s 60 million hectares of arable land, and potential tariff deal with China.
World Bank promises US$400 million funding, Maputo appeals to China for additional assistance to shore up vital artery.
Project cost and completion date not revealed; result of environmental impact study still awaited.
Russia remains China’s top oil supplier, shipping 7.15 million tons in July, and 48.5 million tons since January.
Trends generally up, however Chinese imports from Portuguese-speaking countries down slightly to US$13 billion.