Remarks by Ambassador Jiang Jiang at the Reception for Cultural Personages

尊敬的各位来宾，

女士们、先生们、朋友们：

　　晚上好！欢迎大家到中国使馆做客。见到这么多文化界的朋友，感到格外高兴。

　　在马耳他当大使是幸运的，不仅因为这里气候宜人、风景如画，更因为中马传统友好深入人心。建交46年来，不管国际形势如何变化，两国关系始终保持着旺盛生命力。中马关系能够行稳致远，离不开“民心相通”的支撑和保障。中马都是历史悠久、文化底蕴深厚的国家，多元、开放、包容是我们共同进步的动力和源泉。令人欣喜的是，近年来中马人文交流与合作蓬勃发展，汉语热、中医热方兴未艾，成为不断拉近两国人民情感的纽带。

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening. Welcome to the Chinese Embassy. It's a great pleasure to meet so many friends from the cultural sector.

I consider myself very fortunate to represent my country in Malta, not least because it is one of the most beautiful and pleasant places to live. But more importantly, it is because our friendship with Malta has the overwhelming support of the people here. Throughout the past 46 years since we established diplomatic relations, our ties have stayed strong no matter how the international situation evolved. This would not have been possible without the deep people-to-people bond between our two countries. Both China and Malta are proudly known for immense historical and cultural heritage. Both nations are driven by diversity, openness and inclusiveness. Our people-to-people and cultural exchanges are flourishing, which is truly exciting. We have seen enormous interest among the Maltese in the Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine. All this is bringing our people closer to each other.

　　中马文化交流事业的兴盛离不开马耳他朋友，特别是今天各位来宾的鼎力支持。马文化主管部门长期以来为马耳他中国文化中心开展各类活动提供帮助。马耳他艺术委员会、地中海会议中心、皇家露天剧场、2018欧洲文化之都基金会、圣詹姆斯艺术创作中心等机构都是文化中心重要的合作伙伴。在议会支持下，今年欢乐春节开幕式还首次在议会举办。此外，马电视台、报纸和网络媒体也为中国文化在马传播发挥了积极作用。借此机会，我谨对大家一直以来为促进中马文化交流合作、增进两国人民相互了解与友谊所作贡献表示衷心的感谢。

The flourishing of the cultural exchanges must be credited to our Maltese friends, especially those present this evening. The China Cultural Center has long benefited from the help of the cultural authorities of Malta in organizing all kinds of events. It also enjoys the support of important partners such as Arts Council Malta, Mediterranean Conference Center, PTR ,Valletta 2018 Foundation and Fondazzjoni Kreattivita. This year, for the very first time, the Happy Chinese New Year was unveiled in the Parliament of Malta, thanks to its support. I also wish to acknowledge the role of Malta's media, including TV stations, newspapers and websites, in introducing Chinese culture to Malta. Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for the valuable contribution to the cultural exchange, mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples.