Muscat heads to Beijing to sign Malta-China agreement

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is leading a high-powered delegation to Beijing, China for a three-day visit. The Maltese government is rushing to take advantage of China’s eagerness to invest in Malta.

The Maltese delegation includes deputy prime minister Louis Grech and the PM’s chief of staff Keith Schembri.

The purpose of the visit is to sign a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese government. It will be the longest ever agreement signed with a European Union member state, according to government sources. 

Relations between the two countries have improved, as Muscat spearheads more active bilateral contact with China. The Chinese, on their part, have shown active interest in investing in Malta. 

The small press delegation accompanying the Prime Minister was not yet given an insight into the finer details of the memorandum of understanding.

Prime ministerial sources said the agreement includes several new investment opportunities beyond the present Chinese involvement in the energy sector. 

The MOU will probably seal a Chinese shareholding presence in the Maltese energy sector – a commercial development which was questioned by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil when the matter arose earlier in Muscat’s first year of government.

The agreement – and its finer details – was captained by Schembri and his team, following tough negotiations with the Chinese side.

The prime minister is expected to meet Li Keqiang, who is the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, on Wednesday afternoon. Li Keqiang, 59, is an economist by profession and was appointed Premier of the State Council in 2013.

The agreement will be signed in the Great Hall of the People tomorrow afternoon. The event is a highly formal event, with little or no improvisation from either the Maltese delegation and the Chinese representatives.

After the Beijing signing, the Maltese prime minister and his delegation is expected to visit the Eco-forum in Guiyang, a three-hour flight from Bejing. In Guiyang, Muscat will be meeting vice President Li Yanchou. 

Muscat is one of the few head of state at this ‘international’ forum. He will be delivering a speech and he will also intervene in a forum on ‘Trade Cooperation between countries in Eurasia.’

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and former German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder will also be attending this forum.

The Maltese delegation includes Labour MP Deo Debattista and head of government communications Kurt Farrugia.