The new Sino-Albanian relations in the Post-pandemic era
Vincenzo Maria Di Mino, Marco Siragusa
Abstract
The recent cataclysms, provoked by the Russia-Ukraine war, have made it necessary to rethink new forms of alliances and cooperation, beyond the binary logic of bloc division.
In this context, it is interesting to analyze the cooperation spaces that open up in the Balkans between China and countries such as Albania. In this country, in the wake of the large investments linked to the European hubs of the BRI, trade exchanges between the two countries have multiplied. The new forms of cooperation are mainly based on elements such as commercial cooperation, linked to the opening of new market segments between the two countries, energy cooperation, in the context of the recent European crisis and cultural cooperation, linked to openness and exchange between different cultures and traditions, such as to also strengthen the tourism sector and, in a specular way, the logistic infrastructures for mobility and urban infrastructures for the reception and attractiveness of Albanian metropolises and cultural spaces. The analysis of the new Sino-Albanian relationship is of particular importance especially in light of the continuing close relations of Tirana with the United States, a competitor of Beijing, NATO, and the European Union, which only a few months ago started free at the start of negotiations for the accession of the Balkan country to the EU. Albania therefore runs the risk of becoming a meeting and confrontation ground between US-led Western hegemony and Beijing’s plans for economic and diplomatic expansion in Europe.
Keywords: Albania, China, European Union, USA, NATO