Malta Holds Official Reception in Beijing - WTCF Invited to Attend the Reception

On the evening of June 23rd, 2017, the Official Reception commemorating the Conclusion of the First Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Forty-Fifth Anniversary of the Establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between Malta and China was held in Beijing.

Mr. John Aquilina, Malta's Ambassador to China, and his wife Mrs Ann Aquilina; Mr. Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the People's Republic of China and Mongolia; and Mr. Wang Chao, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China; and his colleagues were present at the event. WTCF was invited to attend the Official Reception held that evening.

The Reception was hosted by Malta's Ambassador to China, John Aquilina and it began with a formal speech from the Ambassador of the European Union to the People's Republic of China and Mongolia, Han Dietmar Schweisgut. The ambassador said, Malta boosted the development of the EU and positively dealt with challenges when it adopted the Presidency of the Council of the EU. As for the China-EU relations, Mr. Han Dietmar Schweisgut said, during the time when Malta adopted the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the China-EU Strategic Partnership experienced noticeable progress.

Next, Mr. John Aquilina delivered a speech and outlined Malta’s journey of joining the EU and the Eurozone. He said, as a small nation, Malta made use of the opportunities and did its best to make progress when adopting the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The “European Capital of Culture” program commenced in 1958, and Valletta will also be the shining star of Europe in 2018, when it will be crowned the title of “European capital of Culture.” Next, Mr. John Aquilina outlined the journey of the China-Malta relations, and said, based on mutual respect, the two nations’ relations have been progressing and the cooperation between the two governments has been increasingly strengthened during the past 45 years.