Maltese President Edward Fenech Adami and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi met Wednesday in Valetta with visiting Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Vice-Chairman Wang Zhaoguo to discuss relations between the two countries.

Adami said further development of relations between Malta and China does not only conform to the interests of the two countries and two peoples, but is also in the interest of world peace and development.

Gonzi said the friendship between Malta and China is of long tradition, and Malta is willing to play an active role within the framework of the European Union in promoting the full-scale development of relations between China and Europe.

Sino-Maltese relations have developed smoothly since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, and China attaches great importance to the development of relations with Malta, Wang said. China hopes that Malta will be playing an active and constructive role in promoting all-round strategic partnership between the European Union and China, he said.

A delegation of China's National People's Congress, the national legislature, headed by Wang, is paying an official goodwill visit to Europe from July 6 to 18. Malta is the third leg of Wang's tour of four European countries, which also include The Netherlands,Iceland, and Austria.

Source: Xinhua