Building a bridge to Gozo will be the focus of a €4 million study paid for by a Chinese mega construction company.

Spread over 15 months, the study will assess the feasibility of a bridge spanning the Gozo channel as the Government intensifies efforts to evaluate all options of connecting both islands.

The agreement was signed yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister in Castille by Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech and Zhang Changfu, vice president of China Communications Construction Corporation Limited.

The State-owned company, ranking 216th on the Forbes 500 list, is the same that built dock number six, the largest in the Mediterranean, below Corradino Hill almost 40 years ago.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the offer for the study came from the Chinese Government. It was accepted with no obligation to take on the bridge project or engage the company if the Government opted for it, he explained.

Asked what the company would get in return, Dr Muscat replied the Government had made it clear with the Chinese authorities there would be no strings attached.

Mr Grech said the offer was a result of the good relations between the two countries and the fact that CCCC viewed Malta as an investment opportunity.

Without delving into specifics, Dr Muscat said he looked forward to discuss other matters with the company.

Mr Zhang said previous company bosses had fond memories of Malta since the dock built in the late 1970s was the first international construction project for CCCC. He said the company wanted to invest in Malta.

Asked about a separate feasibility study on a proposed tunnel between the two islands, for which a tendering process was launched by the previous Administration, Dr Muscat said it would still go ahead.

The tunnel study will be partially financed by the EU.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com