The Impact of “China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation” and “Belt and Road Initiative” on Sino-Albanian Relations

Year 2023, Volume: 17 Issue: 33, 61 - 73, 19.12.2023

Rahman Nurdun

https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.1405842

Abstract

The end of WW II in 1945 did not usher in a new era of lasting peaceful environment but brought in confrontations between two opposite camps based on two different ideologies and value systems: One was US-led Western industrialized countries in favor of democratic systems; another was Soviet Union dominated Eastern Bloc countries upholding socialism. China and Albania belong to the latter camp, but split with the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin due to Nikita Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization stance. Subsequently, China and Albania forged an alliance against Soviet Union in 1950s until Albania fell out with China in 1978. Sino-Albanian Rapprochement was achieved in 1980s after the death of Enver Hoxha. Bilateral relations remained stable since and entered into a new phase symbolized by Chinese business engagement with the launch of China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation (China-CEEC) and “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the Chinese new initiative to Sino-Albanian relations.

Keywords

China, Albania, the BRI, Enver Hoxha

"Çin-Orta ve Doğu Avrupa İşbirliği” ve “Kuşak ve Yol Girişimi”’nin Çin-Arnavutluk İlişkilerine Etkisi

Abstract

İkinci Dünya Savaşı’nın 1945›te sona ermesi, kalıcı barış ortamının sağlanacağı yeni bir çağın başlangıcı olmadı, ancak iki farklı ideoloji ve değer sistemine dayanan iki karşıt kamp arasında çatışmalara yol açtı: Bunlardan biri, demokratik sistemlerden yana ABD liderliğindeki Batılı sanayileşmiş ülkelerdi; bir diğeri ise sosyalizmi savunan Sovyetler Birliği hakimiyetindeki Doğu Bloku ülkeleriydi. Çin ve Arnavutluk ikinci kampa ait, ancak Joseph Stalin’in ölümünden sonra Nikita Kruşçev’in Stalinizasyondan arındırma tutumu nedeniyle Sovyetler Birliği ile ayrıldılar. Daha sonra Çin ve Arnavutluk, 1950’lerde Sovyetler Birliği’ne karşı ittifak kurdular ve 1978’de Arnavutluk Çin’le arası bozuldu. 1980’lerde Enver Hoca’nın ölümünden sonra Çin-Arnavutluk yakınlaşması sağlandı. İkili ilişkiler o zamandan bu yana istikrarlı kaldı ve Çin-Orta ve Doğu Avrupa İşbirliği (Çin-CEEC) ve “Kuşak ve Yol Girişimi”nin (BRI) başlatılmasıyla Çin’in ticari ilişkilerinin simgelediği yeni bir aşamaya girdi. Bu çalışmanın amacı Çin’in yeni girişiminin Çin-Arnavutluk ilişkilerine etkisini değerlendirmektir.

Keywords

Çin, Arnavutluk, Kuşak-Yol Girişimi, Enver Hoca

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