Timor prefers 'fake Gucci ship'

CANBERRA (Australia) - EAST Timor would prefer to buy a 'fake Gucci ship from China' than pay extra for Western military hardware, the nation's president said after acquiring two Chinese warships.

'It's a bit like buying ... a genuine Italian Gucci ship against buying a fake Gucci ship from China,' President Ramos-Horta told the National Press Club during his first state visit to Australia. 'If the Chinese Gucci ship is cheap and good quality, well, sorry, I'm not going to buy the Australian or Italian Gucci equipment,' he added. MORE