CIA 1978: The document on the end of the friendship between Albania and China

A 1978 CIA document details how cooperation between Albania and China was coming to an end. The document notes that, after Mao Zedong's death, Enver Hoxha launched open attacks on China, accusing it of collaborating with the United States and the West.

At the same time, According to the cIA, one of the main reasons for the rupture was The fact that china, having expanded its network of partners, began to limit financial assistance to Albania.

​14 Ιουλίου 1993: Οι 6 όροι του Κωνσταντίνου Μητσοτάκη προς την Αλβανική Κυβέρνηση

The report included an analysis of American expectations for what would follow after the end of Albanian-Chinese relations, and mentioned the possibility of Albania turning towards the West. However, this did not happen at that time, but much later, with the fall of the communist regime and the victory of democracy.

The CIA analysis highlighted that the deterioration of relations between the two countries opened up the possibility of a complete rupture between the close allies for the first time. Although there was insufficient evidence to fully interpret the motivations of the Albanian stance, there were indications that Tirana was preparing a new strategy in case it lost China's political and economic support.

Given Albania's strategic location, its future stance was of interest to all of its Mediterranean neighbors. The Soviet Union, which had been an ally of Tirana until 1961, could try to exploit the situation to reassert its influence, although it was expected that this would be rejected.

Enver Hoxha kept his country isolated, based on xenophobia and extreme ideology. For sixteen years, Albania was completely dependent on China for economic and industrial support.

Tirana's attempts to redefine its foreign policy were always accompanied by internal turmoil. The regime's purges from 1973 onwards had left little evidence of internal conflict.

Although the old communist establishment, headed by Hoxha himself, held onto power firmly, the new officials who came in after the purges could express tendencies in favor of a possible turn.

Despite limited information on internal developments, there were signs that Albanian-Chinese relations had reached their lowest point. Tirana may be trying to avoid a definitive rupture, but if one were to come, it would seek to find other partners, possibly among the Western industrialized states.

However, the new alliances would have their limitations. From the break with Moscow onwards, Albanians remained attached to the perception of the Soviet threat, while Hoxha and his staff would continue to view any rapprochement with the USSR with distrust.

At the same time, there were no signs of Tirana's rapprochement with Washington, although gradual changes in their foreign policy could not be ruled out in the future.

Ideological differences, along with ethnic and territorial tensions, prevented the normalization of relations between Tirana and Yugoslavia, which could have been a natural economic partner for Albania.

Tito's success in improving his relations with Beijing had raised suspicions in Tirana of alleged "betrayal" by China, further hardening their stance against Yugoslavia's "revisionism".

The West could not replace China as Albania's protector, given Hoxha's extreme ideological dogma. The country faced the slow and difficult task of breaking away from its exclusive alliance with Beijing, but its alternatives remained few.

A new generation of leaders could pave the way for a change in its foreign policy, although limited information did not allow a clear prediction of the country's course.

According to studies of the time, the rupture of Albania's relations with China would follow the same course as the divorce with the Soviets, based on the same ideological obsessions of Enver Hoxha.

His foreign policy combined Maoism with his admiration for Stalin, whose statues still stood in the central squares of Albanian cities.

Although slogans of Albanian-Chinese friendship remained alive for a long time, the climate changed in 1978, with Hoxha resenting China's rapprochement with the United States.

The beginning of the rupture can be traced to March 1973, when Hoxha delivered his famous speech on building socialism amidst complete exclusion from the imperialist and revisionist world.

Seven years earlier, in 1967, the Cultural Revolution had begun in Albania, as a copy of the Chinese one, and with it harsh ideological repression was imposed.

Seven years later, Hoxha used this revolution to justify its negative outcome, blaming the "liberalism" of Albanian society.

The shadows of the once unwavering friendship had now dissipated, despite public declarations of its durability.

Since 1972, the Chinese had warned that their economic relations would depend on the political climate, urging Albania not to try to play the role of a puppet of the Chinese leadership.

Despite this, Hoxha continued to attack and criticize China, further worsening the situation.

After 1974, the Albanians' former interlocutors with the Chinese were condemned as "liberals" and suspected of conspiring against the country's economic development.

China's economic aid had provided Albania with support and equipment for years, but Hoxha severed these relations in reaction to the Chinese rapprochement with Washington.

At the same time, serious delays and difficulties had already been recorded in the execution of the country's investment plans, which were based on Chinese loans.

Beijing, in response to Hoxha's criticism, created obstacles to the supply of technological equipment and raw materials, which worsened Albania's economic situation.

The country suffered from low productivity, outdated technologies, and low profitability. Despite the slogan of self-sufficiency, the economy was stagnant, with a large portion of revenue going to the maintenance of the state machine, the army, pensions, healthcare, and education.

The crisis deepened not only due to the slowdown in Chinese investment, but also due to the over-centralization of the economy and excessive defense spending, especially after the 1976 Constitution.

Hoxha's attacks at the 7th Party Congress against Chinese liberal policies sparked a harsh reaction from Beijing, even though her name was not explicitly mentioned in the Congress text.

This conflict, which Hoxha himself had provoked for no real reason, gradually escalated.

The country's sixth five-year plan was based on the doctrine of self-sufficiency. This doctrine condemned any form of alliance or dependence, leading Albania to complete isolation with the slogan: "We produce ourselves and consume only what we produce."

Harsh attacks and counterattacks escalated the rift with Beijing, until the complete cessation of economic relations in 1978.

In his notes, Hoxha revealed that talks with the Chinese were deteriorating, and that Beijing had begun to exert pressure on Albania. He specifically noted that if China did not change its stance, relations would deteriorate irreparably.

Shortly before Mao's death, Hoxha accused the Chinese of using unfair trade practices, worse than those of capitalist states.

Nevertheless, he maintained a dual stance: on the one hand, he wished to maintain close economic relations with Beijing, while on the other hand, he condemned its domestic and foreign policies.

In this situation, he stated that the chinese would No longer be considered friends but enemies, and would be treated as such.

From the analysis of Hoxha's statements, it becomes clear that he was speaking on behalf of the Albanian people, trying to convince them that all citizens would sacrifice themselves to defend Marxism-Leninism – that is, Stalinism and his personal regime.

His goal was to strengthen the home front and avoid any criticism, since for years the slogan of "unbreakable Albanian-Chinese friendship" had become a central element of state propaganda.