On May 3, 2022, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Jose Ramos-Horta on his election as President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Xi Jinping pointed out, over the past 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Timor-Leste, pragmatic cooperation between the two countries has deepened and bilateral relations have made substantial progress, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. This is a vivid reflection of equality and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes. I attach great importance to the development of China-Timor-Leste relations and stand ready to work with President Horta to bring the comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Timor-Leste featuring good neighborliness, friendship, mutual trust and mutual benefit to a new level.