The Chinese company assessing the feasibility of a bridge between Malta and Gozo is meeting the Prime Minister this morning to explore future capital projects on the island.

Joseph Muscat is meeting the executive director of China Communication Construction, Liu Qitao, to also get an update on the €4 million study the company is financing to assess the feasibility of a bridge between Malta and Gozo.

In June 2013 Malta had signed an agreement with the Chinese state-owned company to finance this study, which is expected to be completed in September.

China Communications Construction Corporation is the same company that built Number Six dock, the largest in the Mediterranean, 30 years ago.

The offer had come from the Chinese government and at the time Dr Muscat said it had been accepted with no obligation to take on the project or engage the company if the government opted for a bridge.

Dr Muscat landed in Beijing just a few hours ago where he was greeted at the airport by Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Wang Chao and Chinese Ambassador for Malta Cai Jinbiao.

After meeting the China Communication Construction, Dr Muscat will hold talks  with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang where a five-year cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed.

Dr Muscat will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech and China's Malta Enterprise consultant Sai Mizzi, among others.

Malta will be the first EU country to sign such a medium-term cooperation agreement with China and this memorandum of understanding has already sparked interest from other European countries seeking to tap similar deals.

Although this agreement will see new investment opportunities in areas such as energy and aviation, the exact details on the benefits and revenue it will generate, and if Malta is expected to give up anything in return, have yet to emerge.