Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg has told Parliament that a report in The China Global Times on then Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat’s meeting with Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping in 2010 had stated that they had signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation.

Speaking during the debate in second reading of the Bill amending the Citizenship Act, Dr Buttigieg asked whether Dr Muscat was ready to publish that agreement as well as the recently signed MOU with the Chinese in his capacity as Prime Minister.

She asked whether there was any relation between these agreements and the PL’s electoral campaign.

The Global Times had quoted a statement by the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee saying that Mr Xi had pledged further bilateral ties and inter-party exchanges between China and Malta.

Xi had remarked that China and Malta had been treating each other “in the spirit of mutual respect and equality” since the establishment of diplomatic relations “and have set a model for friendly cooperation between two countries with different social systems”.

Xi also appreciated Malta’s support for China on issues concerning China’s core interests.

On inter-party relations, Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged the two parties to enhance exchanges.

The report said Dr Muscat was grateful for China-aided projects in Malta, saying his country, as a member of the European Union, would work for the further development of bilateral relations as well as the China-EU relations.