Shiv Nair, a British citizen who is a consultant to the government of Malta, and who has worked closely in the past with Chinese state companies in Africa, refused to comment on the agreement or confirm or deny that he was in any way involved in drawing it up.

The Malta Independent asked Mr Nair whether he acts as consultant to Muscat. We also asked whether he was Muscat's consultant on the  MOU signed with China this week. Mr Nair's reply to both questions was "no comment".

Mr Nair – himself subject to a permanent blacklisting from the World Bank – told The Malta Independent that he saw no reason to discuss his private work with the newspaper, and suggested that it should contact the government for comments instead.

PM in China