CHINESE AID FOR MALTA?

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32886, 8 April 1972, Page 17

CHINESE AID FOR MALTA?

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) . . PEKING, April 7. The Maltese Prime Minister (Mr Mintoff) left Peking yesterday with almost certain assurances of Chinese aid for his tiny Roman Catholic island in the Mediterranean.

After a five-day stay in the Chinese capital, the Labour Prime Minister and his delegation of four men left by special aircraft for Nanking, accompanied by the Chinese Prime Minuter (Chou Enlai). The Maltese visitors are spending two days in southern China before leaving Canton for Hong Kong tomorrow. In keeping with usual Peking practice, a communique about the talks is not expected to be issued until the end of the visit. The visiting delegation had more than five hours of talks during the week with Chinese officials led by Chou and including the Vice-Premier and Minister of Finance (Li Hsien-nien) and the Vice

Foreign Minister (Chiao Kuan-hua). Diplomatic sources in Peking said they expect that Chinese aid to Malta will probably be in the region of CNZI6.Bm to SNZ2Sm, spread over a period of at least five years. “That would not be at all surprising,” one Western diplomat said. “What would be surprising would be they have given him nothing.” Loans from China usually take the form of the provision of Chinese commodities and help to establish certain industries, or for agricultural development.. ' Last October, China and ■ Ethiopia signed an agreement after a visit by Emperor Haile Selassie, under which Ethiopia will receive a longterm loan of more than SNZ67m from China.