Whoever believes the consular office in Shanghai was opened to accommodate the personal needs of the Energy Minister’s wife “has a pea brain”, according to Foreign Minister George Vella.

Defending the work of Sai Mizzi-Liang, whose appointment had sparked a controversy, Dr Vella could not remember who had put her name forward but he had not been the one to suggest her.

In a frank interview just days before Opposition leader Simon Busuttil embarks on a visit to China, Dr Vella said that although Ms Mizzi-Liang had been in China for almost two years, she had never worked from the Embassy’s office in Beijing but operated from Shanghai. 

He admitted that he did not know where Ms Mizzi-Liang has been working from so far and directed this newspaper to Malta Enterprise and the Office of the Prime Minister.

In March the government concluded a deal on the purchase of a €1.9 million EU-funded office in Shanghai to serve as a consulate. Dr Vella said Ms Mizzi-Liang would eventually work from this office when it was ready later this summer.