Malta, China pledge to deepen mutual cooperation

Maltese President George Vella meets with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, at the presidential palace in Valletta, Malta, Sept. 17, 2023. [Xinhua/Lian Yi]

VALLETTA -- Maltese President George Vella met with visiting Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at the presidential palace on Sunday, during which the two sides pledged to deepen cooperation between the two states.

Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's warm greetings to Vella and thanked him for his long-term contributions to promoting China-Malta friendship.

Thanks to the strategic guidance of both heads of state, China-Malta relations have enjoyed sustained, healthy and stable development, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Wang said that the two countries respect and treat each other as equals, help each other and pursue common development, which has become a model for state-to-state relations.

China appreciates Malta's adherence to the one-China principle, its objective and friendly view of China's development, and its understanding and support for China's legitimate advocacy, Wang noted.

He said that China is willing to work with Malta to continuously firmly support each other, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly usher in next 50 years of better China-Malta relations.

Wang thanked Malta for facilitating the China-U.S. strategic communication, noting that the China-U.S. sides had a long discussion on how to stabilize China-U.S. relations, effectively manage differences, explore mutually beneficial cooperation, and shoulder their respective international responsibilities in addressing global challenges. He said the meeting was comprehensive, in-depth and productive.

Vella asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Xi, saying that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malta and China more than 50 years ago, China has always treated Malta with full respect and equality.

Vella noted that the two countries have supported and coordinated with each other with the development of bilateral relations maintaining good momentum and cooperation in various fields achieving significant results.

Malta firmly adheres to the one-China principle and looks forward to deepening practical cooperation with China, so as to achieve further development of bilateral relations, said Vella.

Malta admires China's development achievements, and appreciates China's active diplomacy in safeguarding and promoting peace, he said, adding that Malta is willing to enhance communication and coordination with China on international and regional affairs.

Vella said that Malta welcomes the China-U.S. meeting held here, which brings benefits to the world.

Wang said that China supports Malta's serving as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and welcomes Malta to continue playing a unique role in dealing with international and regional hotspot issues.

During his visit to Malta, Wang also met with Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg.