PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TOURISM Deputy Prime Minister Borg meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing

Maltese delegation also holds talks with Tourism Minister Sun Yeli

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, held high-level talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, in Beijing, on Monday. 

The Maltese Deputy Prime Minister is in the Chinese capital on the first day of a week of key official engagements across East Asia, with meetings in Zhengzhou in the Henan Province of China, on Tuesday, before landing in Japan for official talks in Tokyo. He will also participate in the Malta Day events at the World Expo 2025, in Osaka.    

Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister Borg reaffirmed the long-standing ties between Malta and China, as they explored opportunities to extend cooperation in several areas, including the blue and green economies, education, tourism, fisheries, and air and sea connectivity. 

Dr Borg recalled his last visit to Beijing in 2023, when he signed the Malta-China agreement on tuna exports, and the resulting progress, which enabled the first shipments of Maltese bluefin tuna to reach Chinese markets last year. 

“The Maltese fisheries industry is recognising the importance of this commercial relationship, as demand for high-quality Maltese aquatic products from Chinese consumers continues to rise,” he said, adding that “we now look forward to concluding ongoing technical discussions to build on this positive momentum and extend this collaboration to other Maltese aquatic products.”

The upcoming EU-China Summit was high on the meeting’s agenda. The Maltese delegation emphasised the importance of maintaining open and productive dialogue between the EU and China. “As two of the world’s largest economies and key trading partners, the EU and China must work together to facilitate international trade and address ongoing global challenges, as we diversify supply chains, whilst preserving the relationships that have been built over decades,” Dr Borg stated. 

In a separate meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister also held talks with the Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, Sun Yeli, focusing on new initiatives to be launched in the coming days, which will enhance cooperation on tourism education through Malta’s Institute for Tourism Studies and several tourism educational institutions in China. “Investing in highly-skilled human capital is at the heart of all efforts towards a sustainable and quality tourism offering. Malta has a lot to offer in this area, and these educational partnerships will continue supporting our respective tourism industries in the coming years,” Dr Borg said.

The Maltese Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation also met with Minister Liu Jianchao, Head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, to exchange views on current geopolitical issues, stressing the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation to address shared challenges.