PRESS RELEASE BY THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, presides over the signing of a donation agreement between the Embassy of the[...]

H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, presided over the signing of a donation agreement between the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and the Malta Service Dogs Foundation. The agreement was signed by H.E. Zhang Zuo, Ambassador of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and Mr Joseph Stafrace, Founder, Vice Chairperson & Operations Manager of the Malta Service Dogs Foundation.

The signing ceremony was held at San Anton Palace on June 23, 2026, and was also attended by Mr. Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary for Foreign and European Affairs, and representatives of the Embassy and the Foundation.

The donation by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China will provide the necessary funding for the Malta Service Dogs Foundation to train four new service dogs to be donated to four individuals who will benefit from their assistance and, as a result, be able to live a better life by allowing them to be more independent.

In his speech during the ceremony, H.E. Ambassador Zhang Zuo thanked H.E. Madam President for her kind introduction to the NGO and her continuous support for China-Malta relations. His Excellency described this agreement as a friendly gesture of the Chinese people toward the Maltese people and reflects the shared support for public welfare and charity causes. China looks forward to working together with Malta to consolidate the longstanding friendship under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state.

H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono expressed her satisfaction that the contact between the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and the Malta Service Dogs Foundation, initiated by the Office of the President of Malta, has led to this agreement. The President acknowledged the role of the highlighted Malta Service Dogs Foundation in tangibly supporting individuals who are blind or visually impaired and acknowledged the benefits of this donation in ensuring that four individuals will be better able to integrate fully into society with the assistance of service dogs in their daily life.