ISSN: 2560-1601

Vol. 21, No. 4 (Al)

Sept 2019

Albania external relations briefing: 70th Anniversary of People's Republic of China – impressions and considerations from Marsela Musabelliu

1052 Budapest Petőfi Sándor utca 11.

+36 1 5858 690 Kiadó: Kína-KKE Intézet Nonprofit Kft. [email protected] Szerkesztésért felelős személy: Chen Xin

Kiadásért felelős személy: Huang Ping china-cee.eu 2017/01

70th Anniversary of People's Republic of China – impressions and considerations from Albania

Introduction China and Albania have a longstanding, traditional friendship dating back decades. Albania was one of the first ten countries that immediately recognized the newly founded People’s Republic of China and established diplomatic relations with PRC on November 23rd, 1949. The Sino-Albanian partnership during the 1960s and 1970s has been one of the most peculiar alliances ever witnessed after World War II. The constant exchange of delegations during almost three decades of intense cooperation is engraved in the Albanians’ collective memory and in many that witnessed first-hand this “Golden Age” of bilateral relations reminisce those time as days of hope with a strong ally by Albania’s side.

September 24th, Chinese Embassy’s grand reception at the Albanian National History Museum Every year, in the occasion of the anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China, a series of public events are organized by the Chinese Embassy in Albania. As 2019 marks an important jubilee, it was expected that this year’s celebration would be very distinct, and so it unveiled. On September 24th, in the premises of the Albanian National History Museum, the Chinese Embassy hosted a reception that was widely reported and commented in the media outlets. The solemnity of Chinese etiquette was masterfully displayed at the heart of the Albanian capital in the presence of Albanian President , Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruci, Head of the Parliamentary Group of “Albania-China Friendship” Bashkim Fino, Minister of Culture Elva Margariti, former Presidents Rexhep Mejdani and , former Assembly Speakers Skender Gjinushi and Kastriot Islami, as well as former Albanian ambassadors to PRC. Other high-ranking personalities of Albanian political, economic and cultural scene, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps in participated. His Excellency, Ambassador Zhou Ding, held the welcoming speech of the evening by greeting the distinguished guest and expressing his gratitude to all participants for their consistent support in enhancing bilateral relations. While reminiscing the hardship of the past, Ambassador Zhou, highlighted the efforts and the achievements of People’s Republic of China by stating: “Seven decades ago, the People’s

1

Republic of China was born in the struggle for national liberation and independence. Seven decades on, by adhering to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China has grown from an impoverished and war-torn nation to the world’s second largest economy, largest trader in goods, and a leading innovation center.” The economic performance of PRC and its contribution to the global economy were highlighted as steady the pillars of modern China and people’s welfare by mentioning: “[..]per capita GDP of nearly 10 thousand US dollars; biggest middle-income population of more than 400 million has emerged; has contributed more than 30 percent of global growth; world’s largest social security network, covering more than 1 billion people with basic pension system and medical insurance system; the population of extreme poverty from 770 million to less than 20 million. The population lifted out of poverty in China accounts for 70 percent of that of the whole world; world’s largest mobile communication network and the largest high-speed rail system…Since the inception of the BRI six years ago, the total trade between China and BRI partner countries has increased to over 6 trillion US dollars, and China’s direct investment in these countries has surpassed 80 billion US dollars.” Besides the mentioning of these astonishing achievements, Ambassador Zhou, attracted the sympathy of the guests and their appreciation by modestly stating: “We are proud of our achievements and the path we’ve taken to develop our country. President Xi once said: “No matter how far we go, we shall never forget where we came from.” Further, the Sino-Albanian traditional friendship and translating the current great potential of cooperation into tangible results under the BRI and “17+1” framework, were described as important incentives to further deepened political mutual trust and boosted two- way exchanges. One of the phrases of the speech that made headlines into the Albanian press was: “As a special friend of Albania, China firmly supports Albania’s accession to the EU, and applauds every progress it has made.” Chinese diplomats based in Tirana are very well aware of the struggles and the sensitivity of the country’s path into the European Union. This declaration of the Ambassador stressed once more the PRC’s intention in encouraging the Albanian people and policymakers to rely on China while traveling this path.

2

October 1st – all about the parade

How the mass media described it All news editions in the country dedicated on-air time to the impressive celebration held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing by broadcasting President Xi Jinping’s speech, his salute to the military, air and naval forces; the crowd cheering and of course, the parade. First and foremost, it is important to notice that the most used word in the Albanian press after the 1st of October in describing the event taking place in Beijing for the 70th anniversary of the founding of PRC, was military parade (not celebration). For the purpose of this briefing, around 40 different articlesi and commentaries were consulted; out of these only 2 had as part of their headline the word “celebration”; 8 of them had as part of the title “communist rule” and the rest (30) had the word “military parade.” Does this choosing of the buzzword actually describe what the 1st of October 2019 in China meant to the Albanian journalist/reporters? Is it really all about the parade? It is our argument here, after some careful considerations, that more than being the word of choice for describing the event, this was a mere copy-paste of the headline of the Western European media; in fact, most of the influential platforms (The Guardianii, BBC iii, Deutche Welleiv, Il Messagiero v), whether it was in English, German or Italian language they apparently inclined their Albanian colleagues at a certain buzzword. The parade was described as showcase of power and advancement, confidence and prosperity; and of course, national unity and integrity. "There is no force that can shake the foundation of this great nation. No force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation from forging ahead" This phrases from the speech of President Xi Jinping, was present in all the platforms consulted. Apparently, the Chinese Leader’s words intertwined with the display of military might would mostly resonate to the Albanian broadcasters. Many in the press named Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) centerpiece of the parade. In fact, almost all reports on the event mentioned the capacity, range, accuracy and speed of the DF-41. The intercontinental ballistic missile received remarks and attention as clear example of how the Chinese military has transformed in the past years.

How the general public (netizens) perceived it In the next 48 hours after the celebrations in Tiananmen, given the visibility of the news, social media platforms in Albania were filled with netizens comments on the event and of course the variety of opinions (as usually happens online) would focus on a multitude of

3 elements. On Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, personal blogs, etc. in many expressed their feelings and impressions on the matter. The comments stretched form moderate to extreme, from realistic to borderline conspiracy theories, however, the general mood on the vast majority of the was one: kudos. The most common word used was “well done” and this would come from left and right leaning individuals. To understand this outcome is important to know the Albanian socio-economic background and why the people of Albania can relate to this success story. As mentioned in the introduction, Albanians are not estranged to Chinese history and development path. For many years Albanian and Chinese experts have been working side by side and they have understood each-others work ethic, diligence and lifestyle. While Albanians for their reform and opening up chose the “Shock therapy”, similar to the Balcerowicz Plan kind of reforms, China chose to have a smooth transition and gradual opening up. In hindsight, Albanians realized that their line of reform was disastrous, as tangible evidence is the same economic stage of the country still being one of the poorest in the Balkans. For this reason, when Albanians see how much China has developed, it’s not surprising that they feel admiration. The celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of PRC has triggered into the people of Albania the burdensome “what if”. What if our country had done the same?

Conclusions China is the country with the biggest story of social transformation the world has ever seen and this very well-crafted parade is just a manifestation of the that story. It was well noted that the celebrations in Beijing, broadcasted globally, exhibited a strong sense of pride into a deep patriotic moment. The celebration of the 70th anniversary of PRC was a display of absolute precision and full of symbolism – more than a visual demonstration of strength on the international stage it was a moment of showing to the world how far China has come.

4

i Some of the most important are: ALBANIAN TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY (ATA): https://ata.gov.al/2019/10/01/70- vjetori-i-themelimit-te-republikes-popullor e-te-kines-mepj-thellojme-bashkepunimin/ TOPCHANNEL:http://top-channel.tv/2019/10/01/kina-tregon-forcen-parade-me-arme-dhe-raketa-per-70- vjetorin/ RTSH:https://www.rtsh.al/lajme/pekin-parade-madheshtore-me-rastin-e-70-vjetorin-e-krijimit-te-republikes- popullore-te-kines BALKANWEB:https://balkanweb.com/kina-feston-70-vjetorin-e-republikes-popullore-foto-nga-parada- madheshtore/ BOTASOT:https://www.botasot.info/bota/1163984/kina-prezanton-super-raketen-e-re-godet-kudo-ne-shba- per-30-minuta/ GAZETAEXPERSS: https://www.gazetaexpress.com/kina-shenon-70-vjetorin-e-sundimit- komunist/ SHQIPTARJA: https://shqiptarja.com/lajm/kina-tregon-muskujt-ne-70-vjetorin-e-republikes-popullore VIZIONPLUS: https://www.vizionplus.tv/kina-i-tregon-muskujt-botes-parade-madheshtore-per-70-vjetorin-e- republikes/ ABCNEWS: http://abcnews.al/republika-popullore-e-kines-feston-70-vjetorin-e-krijimit-parade-e-madhe- ushtarake/ ii China marks 70th anniversary with military parade. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2019/oct/01/china-marks-70th-anniversary-with-military-parade- video iii China shows off military might at 70th anniversary parade. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world- asia-china-49891769 iv China celebrates itself with a display of military strength. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/china- celebrates-itself-with-a-display-of-military-strength/av-50657815 v China, Military parade for the 70 years of the People’s Republic of China. Translated from: https://www.ilmessaggero.i t/mondo/cina_parata_militare_festa_repubblica_foto_oggi_lunedi_1_ottobre_2019-4769297.html

5