Everlasting China-Albania Friendship

At the invitation of the CPAFFC, a 4-member Albanian parliamentary friendly personages delegation headed by Flamur Hoxha, secretary general of the Commission of Industry, Public Affairs and Trade and vice chairman of the Albania-China Friendship Group of the Albanian People's Assembly, visited Beijing and Shanghai from November 26 to December 2, 2003.

Albania and China, as socialist countries, had traditional close friendship in the 1960s. But in the past dozen years and more since the great political changes took place in Albania, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries almost came to a standstill. The aim of the delegation's visit was to learn about China's achievement and the development of market economy since the country adopted the policy of reform and opening to the outside world. During the visit the members of the delegation marveled at the tremendous changes taking place in China, the good urban infrastructure facilities and the prosperous market. Ms. Marjeta Zace, a member of the delegation who had visited Beijing and Shanghai 30 years ago, found on this trip that the changes in these two cities were so great that they were beyond recognition. She had visited Sweden and was surprised at the level of its development. After visiting the Shanghai Oriental Television Tower, she said that Shanghai was as developed and beautiful as Sweden. In Beijing the delegation visited the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Temple of Heaven and expressed admiration for the rich ancient Chinese culture and the talents of the ancient Chinese people. In Shanghai, the Albanian friends went up the Oriental Television Tower, the highest TV tower in Asia and the third highest in the world, by lift and had a panoramic view of Shanghai. They wondered at what they saw and expressed admiration once and again. Through visiting the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai History Museum, they noticed the sharp contrast between the past and the present Shanghai. Yuan Gongxia, vice president of the Shanghai Municipal People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, gave them a briefing on the urban construction, the protection of cultural relics and the economic development of Shanghai.

The delegation had three deputies to the People's Assembly representing the Socialist, the Republican and the Democratic Parties respectively. When meeting with the delegation, CPAFFC President Chen Haosu reiterated the one-China position of our country, recalled the close relations between China and Albania and their peoples and emphasized the necessity of strengthening cooperation in all fields between our two countries under the new situation. Hoxha, head of the delegation, expressed his admiration for China's development, saying that China's social stability, economic prosperity and its people living and working in peace and contentment had left a deep impression on him. He said that Albania would stick to the one-China position while forging friendly ties with China, learn from the successful experience of China's reform and opening up, and strengthen cooperation in all areas with China. He welcomed Chinese enterprises to invest in Albania and encouraged Chinese entrepreneurs to open up businesses in his country so as to inject vitality to the traditional friendship between Albania and China.

The delegation members and their Chinese escorts forged profound friendship during the visit. Influenced by his father, Mr. Neritan Alibali has loved Chinese history and culture since very young. He was very happy that he learned to use chopsticks during the trip. The brief visit came to an end. At parting no one wanted to say goodbye. Instead they all said: "See you again!"

The plane took off. The delegation returned home, taking with them the Chinese people's profound friendship for the Albanian people and their expectation of future development of our two countries. May the friendship between our two peoples everlasting and the flower of traditional friendship between China and Albania bloom ever more brightly in the new century!