During the Spring Festival in 2022, in Guike Village, Liquiza District, East Timor, the villager Gbagbo's family sat in front of a brand-new TV set, watching the China Global Television Network Channel's series of reports on the Chinese New Year. The enthusiastic festival activities attracted everyone, and everyone was shocked by the beautiful picture, the experience brought by the integration of reality and technology, and bursts of amazement from time to time.

The happiness and happiness of Gbagbo and the villagers benefit from the demonstration project of China-aided terrestrial digital TV transmission system in East Timor (referred to as the "Demonstration Project"), which was launched in 2021. With the assistance of China, East Timor has its own digital TV system. The first batch of more than 200,000 people in the capital city of Dili and its surrounding areas, especially residents in remote areas, can watch digital TV programs with clear images for free. It enriches the cultural life of local residents and allows the closed people to understand the world.

Among the 22 sets of digital TV high-definition programs currently transmitted by the digital TV system, in addition to Timor-Leste National Television, there are also 5 sets of programs from China, including CGTN, CCTV-4, and Beijing Satellite TV, including documentaries, cartoons, TV series and news about China. Etc., introduce China's development to the East, tell Chinese stories, and spread Chinese voices. The project adopts the DTMB/DTMB-A standard recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and has China's independent intellectual property rights to build a digital TV transmission network for the Timor-Leste National Television (RTTL), covering Dili and its surrounding areas. Beijing Digital TV National Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd., as the management unit of this project, has completed the distribution, installation and commissioning of 30,000 sets of set-top boxes, benefiting nearly 190,000 people. As one of the international digital TV standards approved by the International Telecommunication Union worldwide, the successful launch of the demonstration project marks a solid step forward in China-East Timor digital TV international standard cooperation.

"Mr. Yang, come and see my house, the program is very clear!" "Mr. Yang, when are you going to install the set-top box in our village?" Yang Tao, the leader of the demonstration project management team, is one of the local villagers' favorite Chinese. When he went to the mountain area or the community to install the set-top box and check the signal coverage, he would be warmly invited by the villagers to be a guest at home. With the installation of each receiving equipment, people in remote mountainous areas can not only watch their own national TV programs, but also watch programs from 20 other channels, and can keep abreast of the voice of their country and the development of the world.

Alvino is a set-top box installation and maintenance engineer hired by the demonstration project in Timor-Leste. This job brings him and his family a stable income and can learn new technologies and knowledge. "In the past, there was no TV at all in the villages, and only a few TV stations were available in the city. There were various ways to receive TV signals. China's advanced digital TV technology has greatly improved the entertainment and living standards of the people of Timor-Leste," said Alvino. Like Alvino, there are many, many East Timorese working on demonstration projects that not only earn money to support their families, but also gain future career prospects.

Graciano is a consultant of the Timor-Leste Parliamentary Affairs and Media Department. He has been involved in the construction of demonstration projects for two years. He has traveled to various villages and Timor-Leste national TV stations to preach the project many times. Now he is a well-known DTMB/DTMB-A digital TV expert in Timor-Leste. "Now the Yagi antennas on the roof can be seen everywhere in Dili and the surrounding areas, forming a unique landscape. When I see more East Timorese watching high-definition digital TV, I feel that I have done a good job with the Chinese technical team in the past two years. It's all worth it," Graciano said.

On the evening of February 4, 2022, Graciano and his family had been watching the live broadcast of the Beijing Winter Olympics in front of satellite TV. He jumped with joy when he saw the magnificent opening ceremony, especially when East Timor athletes entered the stadium waving flags. He got up and couldn't help shouting "Timor-Leste, I love China". With the deepening of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries in the Middle East, more and more people in the East have developed a strong interest in China and Chinese culture. In September 2022, Graciano will go to Beijing for a one-year exchange study. "I want to bring more Chinese changes and Chinese stories back to East Timor and write more Middle East friendship," Graciano said.

Although the demonstration project of China's aided terrestrial digital TV transmission system in East Timor has just opened, watching Chinese TV programs has become a part of the daily life of local residents. Aemerico, a Dili resident, said: "I watch digital TV programs every day, especially China's news, and pay attention to the rapid changes that are taking place in China every day. China's technological and economic development has an impact on global development. It’s important. Thanks to the China Digital TV Project for enabling us to understand China and the world.”

This demonstration project is a vivid manifestation of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Timor-Leste, which will help deepen connectivity and allow Timor-Leste people to share the digital dividend. Timor-Leste Prime Minister Ruak has repeatedly thanked the Chinese government for its practical cooperation in various fields with Timor-Leste. He said that the friendly cooperation between East and China has a long history, extensive and in-depth. China's assistance to the development of digital TV in East Timor is of great significance for the East Timorese to understand state affairs, understand the world, learn knowledge, and broaden their horizons. significant. It is hoped that the two sides will further strengthen and expand cooperation in the field of digital TV transmission and related infrastructure.

Xiao Jianguo, Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste, said that the successful launch of the demonstration project has witnessed another milestone in the history of development cooperation in the Middle East. China is willing to take this opportunity to continue to deepen assistance and cooperation in various fields such as infrastructure in the Middle East, consolidate the Belt and Road projects between the two countries, and jointly create a better and prosperous future.Editor/XuNing