Malta day at Shanghai Expo

Malta Day has been celebrated at the Shanghai Expo promoting the country’s unique attractions.

The expo, being visited by 200,000 people are daily, is expected to get even more visitors in the summer months.

It remains open until the end of October, by when an estimated 70 million people would have visited the event.

A Maltese delegation led by Malta Enterprise chairman Alan Camilleri visited the Expo to mark the occasion. They were welcomed by the Expo's deputy commissioner General Chai Xi, who has close ties with the island being a former ambassador to Malta.

A flag-raising ceremony while an army band played the Maltese national anthem ensued.

Before proceeding to the signing of the Honour Book, Mr Camilleri and Mr Chai spoke about the good relationship between Malta and China and of how these could be improved even further.

They also referred to the trade relationship between the two countries, with a particular mention to the Malta Enterprise-led business delegation that was in China to explore business opportunities during the past week.

Mr Camilleri invited visitors to experience Malta and find out for themselves all that the country offered. He augured a successful Expo that would contribute to strengthening relations, cooperation and friendship not only with China but also with other countries around the world.

The highlight of the opening ceremony was a performance by tenor Joseph Calleja.

After the ceremony, the delegation proceeded to visit the Malta Pavillion, which contains representations of urban Malta, a replica of the ancient goddess of fertility, a replica of Caravaggio's 'Beheading of St John' and an audio-visual presentation about Malta and its history.

Cafe Jubilee, has also set up shop in the Malta Pavillion, where it is promoting traditional Maltese food and drinks.