By H.E. Ms. Pang Chunxue, Ambassador of the Republic of China to the Republic of Albania
Seventy-seven years ago, Chairman Mao Zedong proudly declared to the world: “The Chinese people have stood up!” Through reform and opening-up, China has become prosperous and has developed into the world’s second-largest economy. Today, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people are advancing with firm steps on the great journey of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan. China’s economic and social development is advancing steadily. In the face of an increasingly complex and challenging domestic and international environment, the Chinese economy has effectively responded to various external shocks and internal difficulties, withstood pressures and moved forward steadily, showing a development trend characterized by new momentum and structural optimization.
In the first half of this year, China’s gross domestic product grew by 4.7 percent, with an increase of approximately $500 billion, the largest increase recorded in the past five years compared with the same period of the previous year. For the first time, China ranked among the top ten countries in the Global Innovation Index, while for three consecutive years China has ranked first in the world in terms of the number of top 100 science and technology innovation clusters.
The goal of high-quality development is to meet the people’s growing needs for a better life. In the first half of this year, the employment situation remained generally stable, with continued improvement in the quality of employment, while per capita disposable income increased by 5.2 percent.
Through the stability and security of its development, China has provided valuable stability for a world filled with uncertainty.
China has put forward four global initiatives as solutions to address the deficits in peace, development, security and governance currently facing the world. The Global Development Initiative focuses on cooperation for development. The Global Security Initiative seeks to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation. The Global Civilization Initiative aims to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, while the Global Governance Initiative sets out directions, principles and paths for reforming the mechanisms of the global governance system.
These four initiatives each have their own focus, but they promote and reinforce one another, giving strong impetus to the building of a better world from four dimensions: development, security, civilization and governance.
China adheres to high-quality development and a high level of opening-up to the world, becoming a stabilizing force and a source of strength for global economic growth. When discussing China’s foreign trade, some countries usually focus their attention on the growth of exports, while ignoring China’s role as a major pillar of global cooperation in production and supply chains, and even promoting the one-sided and inaccurate rhetoric that “China exports production capacity and narrows the space available to other countries.”
Trade includes both imports and exports. In the first seven months of this year, the growth rate of China’s imports was eight percentage points higher than that of exports, meaning that imports contributed more to the growth of foreign trade than exports, thereby challenging previously established prejudices.
China’s “shopping basket” includes large quantities of raw materials, spare parts, intermediate products and food products from around the world, including Albanian wines, honey and other goods. These goods enter Chinese factories and reach the tables of Chinese families, clearly demonstrating that China is not simply the “factory of the world,” but also the “market of the world.”
At the end of July, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized “promoting the balanced development of trade.” With the continued upgrading of the “factory of the world” and the expansion of the “market of the world,” China will continue to pursue a policy of two-way opening-up. Together with other countries, China seeks to enlarge the “cake” of common global development, serving as a stabilizing factor and a driving force for global economic growth.
China and Albania share a deep traditional friendship, which constitutes a valuable treasure for both sides. Bilateral relations have made new progress this year; the leaders of the two countries have maintained continuous communication, while the heads of their legislative bodies have exchanged high-level visits.
In 2025, trade between the two countries reached nearly $1.6 billion, an increase of around 21 percent compared with 2024, consolidating China’s position as Albania’s second-largest trading partner. According to Chinese statistics, China’s imports from Albania reached $160 million in the first seven months of this year, marking an increase of 90.3 percent compared with the same period last year.
More and more Chinese tourists can be seen on the streets of Tirana, while an increasing number of Albanian business representatives are taking part in the Canton Fair. Distinctive Albanian agricultural and food products are increasingly appreciated by Chinese consumers, just as Chinese brands such as BYD and Xiaomi are increasingly appreciated by consumers in Albania.
The greatness of a major country lies in its contribution to the global good. Now that more than half of the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan has passed, China’s economy is moving fully toward a path of high-quality development, with an increasingly solid foundation for positive long-term growth.
China will continue to firmly advance high-quality development, deepen reforms in all fields, expand opening-up to the world at a higher level, and continue to offer the world the benefits of its large market. China will not only fulfil its responsibilities as the “factory of the world,” but will also play its role as the “market of the world.”
China is ready to share development opportunities with all parties, including Albania, and to work hand in hand with them to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
This is the speech delivered by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Albania, Ms. Pang Chunxue, at the reception marking China’s National Day, held on September 23, 2026.
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