I would like to point out the exceptional performance of Dr. Ian Borg, who was appointed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in March 2022.
Since assuming this role, Dr. Borg has been widely recognized as one of the best Maltese Foreign Affairs Ministers, with his efforts contributing significantly to Malta’s foreign policy and diplomatic achievements.
Case in point, under Dr. Borg’s leadership, Malta has become a key meeting point for discussions between the United States and China. Last year’s meeting between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Malta paved the way for a crucial meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi later in November 2023.
While the backchannel diplomacy has not resolved the fundamental issues between the US and China, it has definitely helped the two competing powers understand each others’ concerns better.
26th August 2024 Financial Times Edition has quoted Rorry Daniels, a China expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute, as saying, “It’s been very successful in short-term stabilisation, communicating red lines and previewing actions that might be seen as damaging to the other side.”