Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday praised China-Malta ties, vowing to promote the development of bilateral ties.
Calling Malta “an old friend and a good friend who can stand the test of time,” Xi hailed the fruitful results achieved through bilateral cooperation on all fronts, regardless of the changes seen over the past half-decade.
He made the remarks when he exchanged New Year’s greetings with Maltese President George Vella during a telephone conversation.
China is ready to join forces with Malta to promote greater development of Sino-Maltese relations as the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties approaches, Xi said, hoping to deepen cooperation with the European country. in areas such as trade and investment, medical services. , clean energy, transport and logistics, among many others.
Malta has long been a positive force pushing forward China-EU relations, Xi said, adding that China is willing to safeguard the overall direction of China-EU cooperation with Malta and promote the healthy and stable development of China-EU relations. -European.
China is willing to work with Malta and the international community as a whole to practice genuine multilateralism and unite to build a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi added.
For his part, Vella praised the bilateral relationship, saying the friendship has withstood challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our relationship has matured day by day and can be seen as a model for country-to-country relations, he said.
He pledged to deepen high-level exchanges with China and promote cooperation in all respects. The Maltese president also doubled down on the country’s support for the one-China policy and firm adherence to multilateralism.
He also wished success at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held next month.
