From March 20 to 31, the Maltese Food Festival was held in Beijing. The event was jointly organized by the BPAFFC, the Malta China Friendship Society (the MCFS), and the Minzu Hotel. It was the first ever Maltese food festival in China and also the latest project under the “A Bite of the Belt and Road” event series co-launched by the BPAFFC and the Minzu Hotel.
A team of four Maltese top chefs, led by Dr. Paulino Schembri at the Institute for Tourism, Travel & Culture, University of Malta and including a dessert chef who served Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Malta, were present. The team cooked scrumptious Mediterranean food for local Beijingers, presenting their excellent culinary skills—a blend of East and West—with a glimpse of ancient Maltese civilization and its chivalry culture. This event attracted over 1,600 Beijingers, many of whom said the festival provided an opportunity to learn more about the ancient island country, with its picturesque landscape and splendid culture.
At the Gala Dinner, H.E. John Aquilina, Malta’s ambassador to China, Song Jingwu, vice president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Gao Fei, vice president of the Beijing Tourism Group, and other guests reviewed the preparations for the event, overcoming difficulties to facilitate its launch by the organizers. The guests paid tribute to the Maltese chefs who selflessly prioritized the festival while taking time away from their own careers. The MCFS President Reno Calleja, who came to China especially for the festival, announced that a Chinese food festival would be held in Malta. Such an event would foster business and education ties and give the Maltese people a better understanding of Beijing and China via food and other cultural exchanges.
During his stay in Beijing, Reno Calleja also visited the BPAFFC. The two sides exchanged opinions on tourism, finance, architecture, and artificial intelligence, among others, and signed a memorandum of cooperation.
