BEIJING - China ‍is keen to deepen cooperation with Malta ​in shipping and port logistics, the Chinese Commerce Ministry ⁠said on Thursday, eager to leverage the island's strategic ⁠location in the ‌Central Mediterranean.

In an economic and trade cooperation meeting in Beijing, the ministry also ⁠told representatives from Malta that it was willing to strengthen "strategic alignment" with the country, one of the European Union's 27 member states.

China ⁠and Malta have developed ​a close relationship since bilateral ties were established in 1972, with ‍Valletta keen to help a major investor country promote ​relations with the EU, including access to the region's vast single market.

Under Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative to build up global trade routes to China, state-owned and privately held Chinese companies have invested in Malta's infrastructure, including a stake in Malta Freeport Terminals, a major trans-shipment port ⁠in the Mediterranean, held by ‌China Merchants Port Holdings.

Malta was one of the five EU nations that voted against imposing ‌tariffs on ⁠Chinese-made electric vehicles in 2024.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo. ⁠Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Mark Potter)