Introduction

The Introduction outlines the initiative and motivations behind writing this book. It concludes that relations between Albania and China were shaped by a combination of ideology and national interest. The author argues that the history of bilateral relations is structurally complex, evolving from a close friendship to a period marked by intense ideological and political hostility. The Introduction also describes, in general terms, the political behavior of the two states: in China, student protests were violently suppressed in 1989, whereas in Albania, in 1991, the political system changed as a result of student protests. Following Albania’s systemic change, bilateral relations with China entered a more pragmatic phase; however, they did not return to the previous model of closed ideological partnership.