On Oct 25, guests from China and Malta met online to jointly witness the donation of more than 200 books from Jinling Library of Nanjing to Malta Libraries and the signing of the first MOU in the field of public libraries between China and Malta. The donation marks the establishment of the first ‘Window of Chinese Books' in Europe and the 11th of its kind around the world the library.

Dunhai Yu, Chinese ambassador to Malta and Owen Bonnici, Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government extended their well-wishes for this collaboration.

Xia Jun, deputy director of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, said Nanjing is a renowned historical and cultural city with a history of over 2,500 years. Serving as the imperial city of several dynasties in ancient China, Nanjing is now known as the UNESCO City of Literature.

"The exchange of books is a crucial conduit for the promotion of cultural exchange between the two countries and the books bridge the two nations," she said.

According to Sharon Scicluna, deputy director for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta, successive governments have sought to maintain strong relations with China. The China Cultural Centre in Malta also provides the Maltese people with a better understanding of China's rich cultural tradition through a series of activities, she added.

Yuan Yuan, the cultural center director, said the donation is one of the important projects of 2022's cooperation between the center and Nanjing. The books donated by Jinling library cover ancient Chinese literature and art, history, geography, contemporary Chinese politics and other areas.

"The event is not only a mini encyclopedia of Chinese culture and tourism but also a precious gift that carries the profound friendship of the people in Nanjing for the Maltese people," Yuan said.