by Diao Ze
VALLETTA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fishery cooperation between China and Malta has delivered win-win results, Maltese Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supply Anton Refalo has said.
"Before we made the first agreement in 2023, bluefin tuna was only an exhibit at the China International Import Expo. Now it's a Chinese commodity," Refalo said Tuesday in an interview with Xinhua. Malta is one of the leading producers of farmed Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.
Describing the opening of the Chinese market as "a very important milestone" for Malta's fisheries sector, Refalo said it has allowed Maltese exporters to diversify their markets and reach a wider customer base. Calling the cooperation "a win-win situation," he said Malta looks forward to more trade and economic agreements with China.
Refalo also highlighted the significance of such cooperation for Europe. "Malta, being a member of the European Union, can show other European Union (EU) members how strategic and important the trade and economic relations are," he said.
"I have always considered China and its people as persons of goodwill," the minister said, adding that every country, "not only in the European Union but internationally, can have a lot to take and also to give."
Fishery cooperation between the two countries has continued to expand since 2023. In November 2025, Refalo led a delegation to China for the 8th China International Import Expo in Shanghai. During the trip, a protocol was signed in Beijing allowing Malta's wild-caught fishery products to enter the Chinese market for the first time.
Malta and China's general administration of customs are working toward the third agreement covering exports of fish oil and fishmeal made from bluefin tuna by-products, the minister added.
The cooperation has helped create jobs. Malta's official data showed that aquaculture industry has employed 532 people as of the end of April.
Science is another area of cooperation. The two countries are working together on bluefin tuna breeding research, and in July this year, a batch of fertilized bluefin tuna eggs from Malta cleared quarantine in China's Fujian Province for research purposes.
Expressing hope for extensive cooperation in fishery science and technology, Refalo said China has a lot of innovation to offer, and Malta can learn much from Chinese technique and knowledge-sharing.
Moreover, Refalo said China and Malta, which established diplomatic relations in 1972, have treated each other "as friends, as partners." Malta is committed to promoting friendship and advancing bilateral cooperation in such areas as the blue economy and tourism to achieve sustained growth, he added.
Refalo also said that as a small island state facing challenges such as insularity and climate change, Malta looks forward to further strengthening its relationship with China, which will help its people thrive.
"The Chinese people are our friends. They have always supported us in times of need," he noted.
