Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia today opened the Xinhua News Agency Bureau in Malta. “The establishment of this bureau clearly demonstrates that notwithstanding the geographical distance separating our two countries, there are many areas of cooperation that are possible within the very good relationship that exists between Malta and China,” the minister said.

Xinhua is a large organisation which until today boasts a total of 138 bureaus, 31 within China and 107 in the rest of the world.

The presence of Xinhua in Malta is an important strategic step for the agency, Dr Mallia said. “We are an island nation, a member State of the European Union, with strong links and ties to our neighbours form the South, in the African continent… China has fast become a major player in the world's economy, and a major trading partner, indeed growing,  with the European Union. Every day we hear of one area or another where the EU, or any of its Member States, increase or develop their level of cooperation with China, something that we have always sought to do. The setting up of this bureau will definitely provide an extremely useful and valuable information link which will support all the other, already existing, links that our two countries enjoy,” he said.