President George Vella received a high-ranking Chinese delegation at Sant’ Anton Palace on Tuesday, as Malta and China prepare to mark 50 years since establishing diplomatic relations. 

The delegation was led by Yang Jiechi, who served as China's Foreign Minister between 2007 and 2013. 

Jiechi is a member of the political bureau of China's communist party and also serves as Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs - the highest diplomatic position under Chinese president Xi Jinping. 

President Vella welcomed Jiechi to Malta and noted that Malta placed great importance on bilateral relations with China, which were always based on mutual respect and dialogue despite each country’s very different size. 

Contacts between people from both countries have also been intensified thanks to work done by the China Cultural Centre, he noted.

Jiechi thanked Vella and noted Malta’s role in ensuring regional and international stability. He also spoke of the high value that China gives to the position taken by Malta within the European Union in favour of open dialogue and closer EU-China relations. He expressed hope that Malta and China would jointly contribute to the post-COVID recovery.  

Both sides expressed support for multilateral diplomacy and cooperation between Malta and China, with President Vella noting, in this context, that Malta was bidding for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2023-24.

Malta and China will next year mark the fiftieth anniversary since establishing diplomatic relations.