John Joseph Aquilina, Malta’s ambassador to China, gave a lecture on “Language: the Cradle of Culture” at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) on June 18. It was the fourth lecture of the ambassador lecture series to celebrate the university’s 80th anniversary. 

Zhao Gang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and vice president of BFSU, met with Aquilina. The lecture was presided over by Dong Xixiao, vice dean of the School of European Languages and Cultures, BFSU.

Zhao Gang meets with John Joseph Aquilina at BFSU.

Zhao introduced the development and construction of BFSU and its Maltese major and expressed gratitude to the Embassy of the Republic of Malta in China and Maltese ambassadors for their support for the development of the Maltese program at BFSU.

Zhao said BFSU is dedicated to strengthening the international dissemination of Chinese culture and helping China to participate in global governance. He said he hopes that the Maltese ambassador to China will help BFSU introduce Maltese textbooks and publications.

John Joseph Aquilina delivers a lecture at BFSU.

Aquilina thanked BFSU for the invitation and congratulated BFSU on its 80th anniversary. He affirmed BFSU’s important contribution to spreading the Maltese language and culture and said the embassy would continue to support the development of the Maltese major at BFSU.

During his lecture, Aquilina explained the relationship between the language and culture of Malta and the country’s history. Malta’s long history has left it with a fascinating and diverse culture, and the nation’s history has also had a profound impact on the development of the Maltese language, he said.

During the Q&A session, the ambassador talked about the influence of different cultures on the Maltese language.