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How can the beautiful "Land of Eagles" and China deepen traditional friendship and promote pragmatic cooperation? ——Interview with Zhou Ding, Chinese Ambassador to Albania
2022-08-07 15:21

China Central Broadcasting Network Beijing, August 7 (Reporter Feng Yue Liu Le) According to the Voice of China's "60 Noon" report, there is such a country in Europe, where there are bunkers everywhere, known as the "Bunker Kingdom". ", this is Albania. Albania has a profound traditional friendship with China and has made important contributions to restoring the legitimate seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations.

On July 24, President Xi Jinping called Bayram Begaj to congratulate him on his inauguration as President of Albania. President Xi pointed out that in recent years, the two countries have used the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and China-CEEC cooperation as a platform to enhance political mutual trust, strengthen policy communication, and promote practical cooperation, and bilateral relations have made new progress. I attach great importance to the development of China-Afghanistan relations and am willing to work with President Bergay to deepen exchanges between the two countries in various fields, consolidate the results of mutually beneficial cooperation, and benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

The special program "Great Power Diplomacy" was launched on August 7: "How can the beautiful "Land of Eagles" and China deepen traditional friendship and promote pragmatic cooperation? ——Interview with Zhou Ding, Chinese Ambassador to Albania.

Zhou Ding, Chinese Ambassador to Albania (Photo courtesy: Chinese Embassy in Albania)

Voice of China reporter: Hello Ambassador Zhou, first of all thank you for accepting our interview.

On July 24, the 55-year-old Albanian new President Bergay was sworn in, and President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message. He pointed out that China and Albania have a profound traditional friendship. Ambassador Zhou, we know that Albania is one of the first 10 countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. First of all, would you please introduce the traditional friendship between Albania and China?

Zhou Ding: Hello Liu Le. Albania is located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, with a land area of ??nearly 30,000 square kilometers and a population of nearly 3 million. Albania's terrain is dominated by mountains and hills, so it is also known as the "land of eagles"; at the same time, there are many rivers, lakes, and a long coastline of 472 kilometers, many of which are picturesque.

This land of Albania has historically been ruled by the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire. During the First World War and the Second World War, it was occupied by Italian and German fascists successively, which can be said to be ill-fated. Because of its unique and complex history, Albania is very culturally and religiously diverse. Today, Muslims account for about 60% of the total population, as well as a considerable proportion of Catholics and Orthodox believers.

"Land of National Independence" - the beautiful coastal city of Vlora (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Albania)

Albania is both familiar and unfamiliar to many Chinese people, and it is full of mystery. This may stem from the special history of friendly exchanges between the two countries in the last century. China and Afghanistan established diplomatic relations in November 1949. In the 1960s and 1970s, China assisted Afghanistan with more than 140 projects, covering all areas of Afghanistan's economy and society. That year, more than 6,000 Chinese experts and technicians came to work in Afghanistan, making important contributions to promoting local economic and social development. Some of them left their precious lives in the "Land of Eagles" forever. Among them, the deeds of Zhang Baoyu, a martyr who aided Albania, are still often mentioned by many Albanian friends. My colleagues and I go to pay homage to him and several other Afghan aid workers who have been sleeping in a foreign land every year on Qingming Festival.

On the eve of the Qingming Festival in 2022, Ambassador Zhou Ding paid tribute to the Chinese who died in aid of Albania (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Albania)

Chairman Mao Zedong once used the metaphor of "confidantes in the sea, and neighbors in the world" as a metaphor for China-Arab relations. Premier Zhou Enlai visited Albania three times in 1964, 1965 and 1966, and Albanian high-level officials also visited China many times. When it comes to China-Afghanistan relations, we cannot fail to mention the famous "two Arab proposals". In 1971, Albania and Algeria jointly put forward a proposal at the United Nations on restoring China's legitimate seat in the United Nations, which eventually led to the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and made outstanding contributions to restoring China's legitimate seat in the United Nations.

Not long ago, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the new Albanian President Bergay. President Xi said that China and Albania have a profound traditional friendship. It is expected that the two sides will deepen exchanges in various fields, consolidate the results of mutually beneficial cooperation, and benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Voice of China reporter: Ambassador Zhou, we know that Albania is small in size but has hundreds of thousands of bunkers, known as the "Bunker Kingdom". The cement for these bunkers was aided by China in the 1960s and 1970s. We have also seen that in recent years, China and Albania have used the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and China-CEEC cooperation as a platform to strengthen policy communication and promote practical cooperation. Could you please introduce the situation in this regard.

Zhou Ding: Indeed, in Albania, large and small bunkers can be seen everywhere, no matter in cities or villages. This is the unique mark of that era. Since the drastic changes in the Soviet Union and the East in the early 1990s and the political transition in Afghanistan, China-Afghanistan relations have maintained a healthy and stable development momentum. The connotation of China-Arab cooperation has been continuously enriched and upgraded with the changes of the times. Albania became a member of China-CEEC cooperation and the "Belt and Road" initiative in 2012 and 2017, which provides a broader platform for the development of bilateral relations.

In recent years, the level of China-Albania pragmatic cooperation has been continuously improved, and China has maintained the status of Albania's top trading partner for many years. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume will increase by nearly 30% year-on-year under the epidemic conditions, reaching about 720 million US dollars, which is an encouraging figure. Some Chinese companies have invested and operated oil fields, minerals and other industries in Albania by virtue of their technological cost advantages and tenacity and fighting spirit, making positive contributions to local employment and taxation.

At the same time, more and more Albanian companies are turning their attention to the Chinese market, and they are actively participating in the China International Import Expo and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo. At present, the export scale of Albania's red wine and olive oil to China is expanding. In February 2021, during the China-CEEC Summit, China and Albania signed the Protocol on Inspection and Quarantine of the Export of Albanian Honey and Dairy Products to China, providing strong support for more Albanian products to be exported to the Chinese market. It is believed that Albania's high-quality honey, dairy products and other special agricultural products will soon enter the Chinese market and enrich the dining table of Chinese people.

Also worth mentioning is the cooperation in the field of tourism. Albania has a typical Mediterranean climate, beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, many world cultural heritages, and rich tourism resources. Chinese tourists with nostalgic feelings can also visit the hydropower station built with Chinese aid, the former site of a steel factory, and the filming locations of Albanian films such as "Better to Die". Before the COVID-19 outbreak, thanks to the visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens implemented in Albania, the number of Chinese tourists to Albania has risen sharply. It is believed that as the global epidemic is better controlled, the potential of bilateral tourism cooperation will be further explored.

In a word, China-Arab pragmatic cooperation has broad prospects. It is expected that the two sides will continue to use the "Belt and Road" and the China-CEEC cooperation platform to transform the friendship between the two peoples into tangible and practical cooperation results, benefiting the two peoples.

Voice of China reporter: OK, Ambassador Zhou, thank you again for accepting our interview.

https://www.sohu.com/a/574909800_362042