A new chapter in relations

China and Albania have longstanding and traditional relations dating back several decades.

Albania was one of the first countries to recognize the newly founded People's Republic of China, establishing diplomatic relations as early as Nov 23, 1949.Their political paths converged in the 1950s and 1960s and they found a special affinity at the height of the Cold War.

The traditional Sino-Albanian friendship is currently being rekindled through the China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation mechanism and the Belt and Road Initiative. These vibrant platforms have witnessed intensified cooperation between the two countries, with promising developments year after year.

In the 21st century, globalization has brought the two countries closer. The interdependent world economy has fostered deeper understanding between them. New bridges of cooperation are constantly being built, with Beijing continually promoting the strengthening of relations and deepening cooperation.

There have been more dynamic bilateral exchanges in recent years. Hundreds of Albanian students are studying in China. Trade has flourished, making China Albania's third-largest trading partner. Made-in-China commodities are increasingly seen in Albania while a growing number of Albanian products are appearing in the Chinese market.

According to the Albanian Institute of Statistics, imports from China totaled 141 million euros ($164 million) in 2005, rising to 443 million euros in 2020. Albanian exports to China, meanwhile, totaled 2.6 million euros in 2005 and rose to 41 million euros in 2020. Although the novel coronavirus outbreak slowed the global economy in 2020, bilateral trade has exceeded all expectations, with imports from China increasing by 34.3 percent and exports to China increasing by 47.45 percent in the first half of 2021.

At the institutional level, since the conception of the China-CEEC platform, the Albanian Prime Minister has been attending high-level meetings with his Chinese counterpart every year. The China-CEEC summits bear compelling significance in their origin and operation. This mechanism, in which each country is an equal partner, can serve as the platform to enhance every country's interests.

When China first approached the Central and Eastern European countries in 2012 with a cooperation mechanism in mind, the blueprint of the entire concept was "jointly discuss the rules, jointly work to achieve results and jointly share the benefits". The China-CEEC cooperation is a pioneering framework, nothing like it had been actively promoted before.

China has sought to forge partnerships on an equal footing with all CEEC members. This mechanism between China and several other countries from the Balkans to the Baltics is complex and multifaceted. It is a platform of communication that has placed China and the CEEC into an intense net of sub-platforms with the aim of enhancing bilateral exchanges at different levels.

On a more local note, the Chinese embassy in Albania has been fostering new paths of cooperation, intensifying existing channels of exchange and deepening bonds between the two peoples. Indeed, the solidarity that China and Albania share has been in evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The very first voice of support for Albania's fight against COVID-19 came from the Chinese embassy in Albania. Despite the extreme difficulties faced by transportation corridors during the pandemic, China has donated several batches of testing and protective equipment to Albania, thus demonstrating that friends matter even more than half a century later. Also, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are the most used by Albanian citizens.

Chinese ambassador to Albania Zhou Ding recently said: "As a friend and a partner of Albania, China stays ready to enhance cooperation, through both bilateral channels and the China-CEEC mechanism to make fresh progress in different areas. I think this special relationship has transcended history, politics and ideology and become our shared wealth."

It is this shared wealth that constitutes the grounds on which the foundations of friendly bilateral ties are being built. There still persists a common desire and fundamental interests of the two peoples to continuously deepen this friendship and push ahead cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding. The trajectory of bilateral exchanges between China and Albania has been smooth thanks to the two peoples' efforts to cherish, appreciate and welcome each other and give a boost to the deeply-rooted and long-established ties.

In these challenging times, when the global economic downturn has caused immense social and economic strains everywhere, to support the poorest and those most affected by the effects calls for an immediate socio-economic response. Poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires a cross-sector approach. In this context, China offers the most important blueprint for eradicating absolute poverty, which it has achieved by focusing on connectivity, infrastructure, innovation, sustainability, targeted actions and a government that honors its commitments.

Furthermore, the concept of inclusive development, or shared development, displayed in the Chinese slogan "no one will be left behind" resonates immensely with Albania and countries around the world that are striving for better living standards and more prosperity. This high-quality development, which is more balanced, more widespread and truly becomes a stepping-stone to social mobility, is what many around the world are longing for.

The author is executive director of the Albanian Institute for Globalization Studies.The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn