On October 13th , Bernard Hamilton, Consul-General of Malta in Shanghai, and Mira Lesjak, Head of Mission of the Slovenian Consulate in Shanghai, visited Zhejiang Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs. Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the European Union in the second half of this year. Jin Yonghui, Director General of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs had friendly exchanges with Mr. Bernard Hamilton and Ms. Mira Lesjak. Gu Jianxin, Deputy Director General of the Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs, and members of the Division of European Affairs attended the meeting.

Jin Yonghui welcomed their visit and briefly introduced the economic and social development of Zhejiang Province, especially the pilot zone updates and achievements of Zhejiang Province in the fields of Digital Economy, Green Development and Common Prosperity.

He said that in recent years, Zhejiang is making efforts to build a hub for cooperation between China and central and Eastern Europe. Malta and Slovenia are located in the heart of the Mediterranean and central and Eastern Europe, with relatively developed economy and rich tourism resources.

Zhejiang Provincial Department of Foreign Affairs is willing to maintain communication with the embassies and consulates of Malta and Slovenia in China, promote the establishment of a multi-level and multi-channel friendly exchange mechanism between Zhejiang and the two countries, and deepen practical exchanges and cooperation with Malta and Slovenia in the fields of epidemic prevention and control, education and training, cultural tourism and so on. Bernard Hamilton and Mira Lesjak expressed their gratitude for the warm reception by the Department. They briefly introduced the industrial characteristics, vaccination and economic recovery of the two countries.Consul-General Bernard Hamilton said that the Consulate General of Malta in Shanghai is willing to actively communicate with government departments, non-governmental organizations and enterprises in Zhejiang Province, jointly promote exchanges and cooperation with Zhejiang Province, and welcome more people to study and travel in Malta after the epidemic. Mira Lesjak, Head of Mission of The Slovenian Consulate in Shanghai, said that the Slovenian Consulate in Shanghai spoke highly of the efforts and achievements made by Zhejiang Province in promoting local cooperation with central and Eastern European countries. The Slovenian Consulate in Shanghai would follow closely follow up Zhejiang’s development and wish the cooperation between Zhejiang and Slovenian reach a new height.