Perhaps few people in Malta realise the significance of the visit by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping over the weekend. It marks an extraordinary trio of high-level contacts between the two countries and it comes on the heels of the visit to Malta by Chinese Culture Minister Cai Wu earlier this month. Such high-level attention from China, despite Malta's tiny size and commensurate small weighting in trade and world affairs, is reflective of China's particular fondness for Malta (as well as a recent flurry of international diplomacy by China's leaders).
Even in the last Asia-Europe Summit held in Beijing last October, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was one of the heads of state to be received by President Hu Jintao. That evening, on the news of CCTV - China's largest TV channel - Malta was introduced along the lines of "the first Western country to open relations with China". The length and endurance of that relationship is also symbolised by the Chinese Cultural Centre in Valletta: Malta was chosen as the first European country to host such a centre (there are only seven such centres in the world, including three in Europe - in Malta, France, and Germany).
On these questions of scale and significance, I can make a further comparison. I live in Deyang, a city in western China that's almost the same size of Malta. Most Chinese people from other provinces have never heard of Deyang, yet most Chinese people know of Malta. This has been a surprise to me: I have lived and travelled extensively in east and south Asia for eight years and China is the only Asian country I have experienced where a high proportion of people (possibly the majority) I meet know of Malta (in other Asian countries, the opposite is the case, with the majority being ignorant of Malta).
Another surprise is that when I introduce myself as a Maltese, most people say: "Malta is a beautiful country". These people then go on to express an eagerness to visit Malta. All the artists I meet, for example, are keenly aware of the charming Maltese townscapes and excellent quality of the light and would love the opportunity to paint in Malta. I also have wealthy friends who keep asking me when I will be in Malta next so that they could visit. And about three weeks ago I had a large travel agent contact me and ask me if I would help him develop package tourist tours to Malta.
Chinese tourists represent a latent possibility for Malta's tourist industry. I use the word "latent" and that's because the current visa regime is a hindrance. When I enquired about getting a tourist visa to Malta for my girlfriend (who's now my wife), the Maltese Embassy told me that processing of the visa ranges "from a few days up to 20 days" and that the person applying would have to go to the Embassy in Beijing with the passport; also, the fee is RMB400 (about €44). Now we live in Sichuan, which is more than 1,500 kilometres from Beijing - equivalent to the distance between Malta and Prague. Hence, procuring a Maltese visa would entail flying to Beijing and staying in a hotel and then even being slapped a visa fee that's high by Asian standards.
This makes getting a Maltese tourist visa a major hassle and cost, in time and money. Why can't the Embassy have a clear time-scale? Every embassy I have been to in my life to apply for a tourist visa - and I have visited about 40 countries - has specified the number of days it would take to process a tourist visa (the only exception has been Libya and we all know what's the state of tourism there). For when you tell an applier that the processing can take "up to 20 days" the psychological effect amounts to discouragement.
Given Malta's favourable reputation in China, it would pay dividends in terms of tourist traffic if Malta makes the issuance of tourist visas easier and timelier (and if Malta works more actively to facilitate Chinese tour operators in Malta). Like many other European countries, Malta could gain from opening a consulate in Chengdu - to serve western China - and a second consulate in Gaungzhou, to serve southeastern China. At present, Malta isn't getting its share of China's swelling stream of tourists (in the first nine months of 2008, the number of outbound Chinese tourists reached 34 million, a growth of 15 per cent over the previous year).
Then there are the possibilities of corporate exchanges that Malta can exploit further. For example, Malta can court Chinese companies that want to open an office or branch in Europe. Malta is an enticing location for these companies given the widespread English use and the relatively-low costs of doing business and living. There are so many opportunities that can be explored in this sphere.
Everyone knows that China is a rising star. The rate of development is impressive. Even where I live, which is a small city in China's hinterland, I have seen a striking transformation in just two years. The street where I live is now lined with new bars and teahouses - there were none before - and the skyline I see from the window now has several new skyscrapers. I have seen improvements in everything from administration to cleanliness as well as rapid social and cultural advancements. Or I could mention the transformation of my wife's family. Up to six years ago, her parents were farmers living in a small village; then their daughter worked and saved and bought a modern apartment, Now they live in the city and work in a hospital. Stories like this are being repeated all over China millions of times over.
The Chinese model is notching some remarkable successes. In public administration, for example, China is proving to be effective in running public-private partnerships and large public projects across the country are often completed on schedule or ahead of schedule. The Chinese' creative abilities are proven by the now worldwide fame of China's modern artists. And what has especially struck me is the way people in China can start from nothing and grow wealthy in a handful of years.
Malta is in a great position, given its long relations with China, to take more initiatives in prudently cultivating the two countries' relationship further. More cooperation and exchanges - government to government, people to people - can be promoted in imaginative ways. I have found the Chinese open and eager to cooperate with others for mutual benefit. And, above all, China's growth perhaps represents the greatest opportunity of our time.