BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to a letter from teachers and students of the China Corner of St. Margaret College Secondary School in Malta, encouraging more Maltese youth to actively participate in people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

In his letter, Xi said thanks to efforts from both sides, the China Corner of the school has contributed positively to increasing knowledge about China among the Maltese youth and promoting the China-Malta friendship.

Xi said he wishes the China Corner even greater success in the future, and welcomed faculty members and students to China for exchanges and study.

Peace and harmony among all states has been a long-held wonderful aspiration of the Chinese nation for the human society, Xi said, adding that it is also the cultural root of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"We live in a world where history and reality meet, where opportunities and challenges coexist, and where humanity as a whole rise or fall together. Countries must assist each other in times of need and choose win-win cooperation if we are to share in the fruits of development," he noted.

Xi said for the purpose of tackling global development and international security challenges, China has put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative.

It is a concrete step on the part of China to galvanize consensus and strength to put the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind into action, Xi added.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, Xi said, adding that the bilateral relationship has become a fine example of friendship between two countries with different history and culture.

He said he hopes that more Maltese teachers, students and young people will actively engage in bilateral cultural exchanges, promote mutual learning between the two civilizations, and carry forward the great tradition of friendship between the Chinese and Maltese people.

St. Margaret College Secondary School is a comprehensive public school in Malta, which set up the China Corner in 2010 with support from the Chinese side.

The teachers and students of the China Corner wrote a letter to Xi recently, in which they quoted a saying from the Book of Rites that "the whole world is one family," expressing their appreciation for the Chinese culture and speaking highly of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative.

They also extended wishes for the 50th anniversary of Malta-China diplomatic relations and expressed the willingness to make more contributions to cultural exchanges between the two countries.