On September 13, 2018, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela of Malta co-chaired in Beijing the first Steering Committee Meeting on Medium Term Cooperation between China and Malta. Over 30 representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce and National Energy Administration of the Chinese side and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, the Ministry for Energy and Water Management, the Ministry for Tourism, the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government, the Ministry for Education and Employment and other ministries of the Maltese side attended the meeting.

Both sides spoke highly of the traditional friendship between China and Malta, fully recognized the fruitful cooperation between the two countries as well as agreed to, in the new circumstances, constantly consolidate bilateral political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation in various areas such as economy and trade, people-to-people and cultural engagement, energy, finance, tourism, transportation and science and technology, so as to push China-Malta relations to higher levels and bring more well-being to both countries and the two peoples. The Maltese side expressed that it is willing to take an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and conduct trilateral cooperation under this framework together with the Chinese side.