Flying straight to China in 12 hours is starting to look like a reality as the government hopes to establish a direct travel link with one of the country’s many provinces in the coming months.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat would not reveal which province the government has in its sight, saying this would be premature, but he did rule out Beijing.
“We’re exploring what province would be best suited for Malta and we’re in direct discussions with the different provincial governments,” he said, giving a round-up of his three-day trip to China.
Air Malta is involved in the ongoing talks and Dr Muscat did not rule out that the national airline would somehow be involved, though it does not have the aircraft to handle long-haul flights.
In all this, Dr Muscat acknowledged that one serious problem remained: Malta took too long to process visa applications for Chinese compared with other EU member states.
France will issue a visa within 48 hours, while Italy is promising to cut down its present four-day window to 36 hours by investing heavily in human resources.
Malta is at the bottom of the list – it takes from 10 working days to two months – and Dr Muscat is keen to make Malta more attractive for Chinese visitors.
Visas are not his sole focus and he is pushing to have the island better marketed with the Chinese as, like the Americans and Japanese, they were unlikely to fly to Europe to visit just one country.
“We cannot sell Malta as a sole destination so we’re encouraging cruise liner companies to put together a specialised package for Chinese tourists where, for example, they could holiday on the island for three days then set out on a cruise to southern Europe and the Mediterranean,” he added.
Although the focus of the trip a was the signing of the five-year memorandum of understanding and addressing the Eco Forum Global conference, Dr Muscat and his delegation have had intense meetings with different stakeholders to tap into the business opportunities the country has to offer.
“Whoever thinks the Chinese act politically is failing to see the bigger picture and ignoring their business acumen.
“No company is going to invest nor do anyone any favours unless they see potential,” he said.
Asked why China should choose Malta over other countries, Dr Muscat said it was important to keep in mind that it was seeking to invest the trillions of cash it had in projects away from its own shores.
“China has huge amounts of disposable money, which if it doesn’t invest within 15 to 20 years it risks losing due to a globalised world and the rate of exchange, so let’s remain grounded,” he said.
This meant that China was prepared to discuss with anybody who came along with the right offer; a vision previously highlighted by the Chinese premier.
The island’s competitive advantages were: its geostrategic position with access to Europe and Africa; human resources that were competitive; as well as legislative agility to ensure investors had the legal structure in place.”
“We’re not the only country coming here with an offer. They have the funds and they’re shopping around.”