Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has described his meeting with Malta’s trade envoy to China, Sai Mizzi-Liang, as “bizarre”. He met Ms Mizzi-Liang for 30 minutes in Shanghai yesterday and said he was “unimpressed” by her answers about her work as a trade envoy.

“So far, the Opposition has been very critical of Sai Mizzi’s appointment for reasons of nepotism [she is the Energy Minister’s wife] but, after this meeting, the criticism will also focus on the fact that she is not up to it,” Dr Busuttil told the Times of Malta from China. He said the meeting had only been confirmed on Thursday night.

Dr Busuttil is expected to leave China today after leading a Nationalist Party delegation on the invitation of the Communist Party. Before leaving to China he had requested a meeting with Ms Mizzi-Liang, who was appointed trade envoy by Malta Enterprise two years ago with a pay packet of €13,000 a month amid widespread criticism.

Dr Busuttil said Ms Mizzi-Liang protested strongly when he raised the salary issue and she could not understand what the fuss was about her being the Energy Minister’s wife.

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Meanwhile, the prime minister's spokesman, Kurt Farrugia, said in a tweet that Dr Busuttil had only mentioned his protests about Ms Mizzi Liang's appointment in a press release and not during the meeting.