Briefly

CHINA

Malta's deputy PM to pay 4-day visit

Malta's deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs and tourism, Ian Borg, will pay a four-day visit to China starting Sunday, China's Foreign Ministry says. Speaking at a daily news briefing on Thursday, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China and Malta enjoy a long-standing friendship and have always upheld mutual respect and friendly cooperation. China stands ready to work with Malta to take Borg's visit as an opportunity to further consolidate political mutual trust; explore mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, culture, tourism, education and other fields; and inject new impetus into the healthy and stable development of China-Malta and China-Europe relations, she said.