Cheng Chen was at the Chinese ambassador’s farewell reception yesterday evening

The Chinese ambassador hosted a farewell reception yesterday evening at the Grand Hotel Excelsior. The Prime Minister stayed away, but Mrs Muscat went and left early. The head of state was not there either. The Finance Minister (Edward Scicluna), the Foreign Minister (George Vella) and the Environment Minister (Jose Herrera) were there. The Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Konrad Mizzi), the Justice Minister (Noddy) and the Economy Minister (Chris Cardona) were not.

Shanghai Electric Power’s CEO and CFO were there, and so was Accenture negotiator Cheng Chen, news of whose secret company in the British Virgin Islands had just broken.

The Chinese ambassador gave a very long speech. The Foreign Minister did not respond, but Reno Calleja – a Labour politician from the Mintoff years who runs the Malta-China Friendship Society – did instead.

The acting Commissioner of Police was there. He spent most of the time at the hotel bar, talking about football with his friends.

Cheng Chen, far right, shaking Konrad Mizzi’s hand immediately after the Shanghai Electric Power/Malta government deal was signed in March 2014.