Sai Mizzi, Consul-General for Malta in Shanghai.

The government has refused to provide a list of achievements by China trade envoy Sai Mizzi despite the Prime Minister saying she should be judged by her achievements, not her salary.

Joseph Muscat repeatedly told Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in Parliament on Tuesday that Ms Mizzi, the wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, should be judged by what she had achieved, not her €13,000 monthly salary.

Dr Muscat even said that there would be a local launch of one such achievement in the next few weeks.

However, no details were made available when Times of Malta asked the Office of the Prime Minister to provide the list of Ms Mizzi’s achievements.

This newspaper also asked the OPM to specify her contribution to each of those achievements and to give details of the local event the Prime Minister mentioned.

“Details will be known at the appropriate time,” was the curt reply.

Muscat repeatedly told Busuttil in Parliament that Ms Mizzi, the wife of Konrad Mizzi, should be judged by what she had achieved, not her €13,000 salary

Ms Mizzi was first appointed trade envoy in 2013 “to promote Asian investment in Malta”, and, last April, the government said that she had been appoin-ted Consul-General for Malta in Shanghai.

Her job was vaguely defined and, so far, there have been no details on what benefit the country has received from her high-paid employment.

Two months ago, the government defended her position, saying she was active in seeking investment for Malta over the past year but her office in Shanghai had not yet opened to the public. The government said the consulate she was heading had not started to process visa applications yet because it was still being set up and equipped in terms of Shenghen requirements.

The office would open for the public “in the near future”, the government said last April.

Ms Mizzi’s total financial package comes close to €160,000 annually, including her benefits and allowances.

Malta’s former ambassador to China, Clifford Borg Marks, received a €34,000 salary and €40,000 for his posting overseas.

He resigned earlier this month and has not yet been replaced.

Questions about Ms Mizzi have never really stopped since her appointment soon after the Labour Party was elected.

The lack of information has led to a series of jokes and remarks on social media about “Ms Sai Gone”.