Hu meets Maltese PM

Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Hu Jintao during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing October 23, 2008. [Agencies]

In the meeting with Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi Hu expressed his appreciation of Gonzi's active contribution toward the development of China-Maltese relations.

He said the Chinese people are grateful that the Maltese Prime Minister went to the Chinese Embassy in Malta to express his condolences after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake had jolted the southwestern Sichuan Province on May 12 and offered help for China.

Gonzi said he is glad and feel honored to have this opportunity to attend the ASEM and exchange opinions on related topics of the meeting.

Established as a high-level forum between governments of Asia and Europe, the ASEM this year is expected to focus on how to respond to the current global financial crisis, rather than the earlier planned topics like climate change, sustainable development and energy security.

Launched in 1996 as an informal dialogue mechanism, the ASEM now includes 45 members, representing more than 50 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2008)