At the invitation of the Maltese government, a delegation, comprised of Chinese enterprises and led by Mr. Xiao Jinquan, Dentons Global Vice-Chair, arrived in Malta by a special airplane in the early morning of April 26, 2018 to conduct special investigations and negotiations on a series of investments.

Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta, meets with Mr. Xiao at the office

On the afternoon of April 26, the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat met with the delegation at the Prime Minister's Office. As the head of the delegation, Mr. Xiao introduced to Prime Minister Muscat the investment intentions of Chinese companies in various sectors (including banking and finance, aviation, port logistics, high-end healthcare and block chain) in Malta, the basic information of the companies involved in the delegation, and Dentons' global legal services network.

Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta, meets with the delegation at the office

Prime Minister Muscat welcomed the delegation and appreciated Chinese companies' investment intentions in Malta. He also emphasized that Malta had advantages in finance development and recommended Chinese enterprises to start from Malta's financial sector. Chinese companies can rapidly integrate into the EU financial system through mergers with or acquisitions of the existing financial institutions in Malta, so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of RMB in the EU. The Prime Minister also expressed agreement with the delegation's other investment targets in other areas such as the block chain. He hoped that Chinese companies could invest in Malta as soon as possible after further investigation and due diligence. Prior to the talks, the delegation and the Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of Malta (former Maltese Foreign Minister) Alex Trigona exchanged ideas in advance.

On the morning of April 26, the Chinese Ambassador to Malta, Jiang Jiang, met with the delegation at the Embassy. After hearing a briefing on the purpose of this trip presented by Mr. Xiao, the Ambassador expressed his support for Chinese enterprises' investment in Malta and best wishes for a productive trip, and stated that the Embassy was willing to provide necessary assistance to the delegation's investment activities after the meetings with the Prime Minister and other relevant Maltese government departments, so as to promote business cooperation between China and Malta.

On the afternoon of April 27, after a meeting with other Maltese government departments, the delegation returned to China by a special airplane. The delegation consisted of representatives from China United Holdings Group, China Confederation of Leading Enterprises, China Health Industry Investment Fund Co., Ltd. and other Chinese companies.

Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, situated in the zone between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. It is one of the first European countries to establish diplomatic ties with China and also one of the first European countries to apply for membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Malta has a long-term friendship with China and has always attached great importance to cooperation with China. In recent years, Prime Minister Muscat has visited China several times and signed relevant cooperation agreements with China, hoping to absorb more investment in aviation, maritime, infrastructure, and transportation.