VALLETTA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping concluded his six-nation tour here Sunday and left for home.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R, front) inspects the honor guards at a welcoming ceremony held by Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (L, front) in Valletta, capital of Malta, Feb. 22, 2009. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) Photo Gallery>>>

    Xi arrived in Valletta on Saturday for a two-day official visit to Malta. During his visit, Xi met with Acting Maltese President George Hyzler, Speaker of House of Representatives Louis Galea and held talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

    During the meeting with Hyzler, Xi said that Sino-Maltese relations have been developing very well in recent years, with a frequent exchange of high-level visits, enhanced mutually beneficial cooperation, and active exchanges in such fields as culture, education and judicature.

    China and Malta understand and support each other in major international and regional affairs, he said, adding that the two nations are "old friends and good friends" that have stood the test of time.

    For his part, Hyzler thanked China for the sincere help it has provided for Malta, and congratulated China on the great achievements of its modernization drive. He also noted that there has been a good cooperative relationship between Malta and China.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L3, rear) and Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (L4, rear) attend a signing ceremony for a series of agreements between China and Malta, in Valletta, capital of Malta, Feb. 22, 2009. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng) Photo Gallery>>>

    While meeting with Galea, Xi said that parliamentary exchange is an important part of Sino-Maltese relations, and that strengthening exchange and cooperation between the two sides is of great significance for the development of bilateral ties and friendship between the two peoples.

    Both Hyzler and Galea reaffirmed that the Maltese government and parliament will firmly stick to the one-China policy.

    During talks with Prime Minister Gonzi on Sunday morning, Xi said China hopes to consolidate Sino-Maltese cooperation in bid to obtain new and fruitful results through actions to deal with the challenges stemmed from the financial crisis.

    Together with Gonzi, Xi attended the signing ceremony for a number of agreements on bilateral cooperation in economy, culture and judicature.

    On Saturday, the Chinese vice president also met with former President Guido de Marco and Labor Party leader Joseph Muscat.

    Malta was the final leg of Xi's six-nation tour, which also took him to Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.

[1] [2] [3] [4]