“Malta is open for business and ready to test new frontiers. This Government takes pride in foreign investment. We are laying the ground for a new generation of growth and wealth for our country,” said Prime Minister Joseph Muscat before a memorandum of understanding signing today between Huawei Technologies and the Government.

The signing of the MoU happened at SmartCity Malta where Huawei Technologies have today opened their first physical presence in Malta through an office focusing mostly on research and development.

The strategic partnership signed between the Government and Huawei includes the commitment to place Malta on the map of 5G testing. The 5G technology is still in its experimentation phase and Huawei are one of the leading corporations carrying out this testing.

The Government said that Malta will now be at the core of this process which will evolve existing 3G and 4G technologies to even higher speeds and capabilities. After the testing phase, Huawei will evaluate the possibility of establishing a Research & Development centre in Malta.

Through this agreement, Huawei Technologies will also use their capabilities and expertise to support major local digital projects such as the prospect for further testing on the fibre-to-home nationwide project.

The Prime Minister said that the partnership with Huawei, the biggest telecommunications device manufacturer in the world, proves that Malta’s size is not an obstacle. “During the past months we have been sowing the seeds for Malta to take a new direction in terms of new niches for our economy.”

“We aspire for more. This is a pro-business government leading into the future of a Malta that is open for business,” said Dr Muscat while remarking that this week in Brussels, European leaders were discussing a doom and gloom scenario of Greece leaving the Euro Area, as their citizens keep suffering because of their country going bankrupt.

“It is important to safeguard our economy by taking it to new heights. We have this responsibility, towards our citizens,” concluded Dr. Muscat.

Edward Chan, the CEO of Huawei Italy, said that Europe has huge potential for boosting 5G development and today’s agreements put Malta at the core of it.

“Only the collaboration between public and private sectors can provide a secure and long lasting growth for countries, and it is within the Government’s responsibilities to facilitate this kind of collaboration and Malta’s government provides today a clear example of how to proceed to implement real Digital Government strategy,” said Mr Chan.

He said that “the MoU signed today highlights Huawei’s commitment to deliver on its European investment plans. Having operated in Europe since 2000, Huawei has 9,900 employees. Huawei’s products and services already enable better communications in 170 countries and serve more than one third of the world’s population.”

The Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth José Herrera said that the presence of Huawei will raise the bar especially in the service industry. He said that till now we have managed to attract 200 world-class companies. “As the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world there is no doubt that Malta has a lot to learn from this Chinese multinational company.”

Malta’s Envoy to Asia Ms Sai Mizzi Liang, who, the Government said, “played a crucial role in attracting Huawei Technologies to Malta with the potential of making our country a technological hub in the Mediterranean,” said that she remains determined to give Malta “the strongest possible voice in Asia.”

“My job is to manage and develop our relationship with the biggest economy in the world. On one side, to promote Malta in Asia, and on the other side to bring Asian investment and technologies back home to Malta,” said Ms Mizzi Liang.

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