Dashnor Kaloçi
The first part
Memorie.al/ publishes an unknown document issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belongs to 1962, which contains the minutes of the meeting and talks held between a delegation of the Albanian Labor Party led by members of the Politburo and secretaries of the Central Committee of the ALP, Hysni Kapo and Ramiz Alia, with a delegation of the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China led by Ten Hsiao Pin and Van Tse Zian. The full minutes of the talks between the two delegations held on June 10, 1962 at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, (which was the fifth official meeting between them), where after the first item of the agenda which was also a priority, a possible meeting with Mao Zedong and finding opportunities and the itinerary of the Albanian delegation to return home by air and sea, was also discussed about the bilateral relations and economic assistance that official Tirana sought through the two leaders of Hysni Kapo and Ramiz Alia, such as the Nitrogen (Phosphate Fertilizer) Plant to be built in Fier, the Warsaw Pact talks, the KNER, NATO, Nikita Khrushchev, China’s relations with its neighbors and other Asian countries, such as: Soviet Union, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Nepal, Burma, India, Pakistan, Burundi, etc., to those of the Middle East and Africa, such as: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Algeria, Guinea, Mali, Ghana, etc.
Minutes of the meeting of the delegation of the Albanian Labor Party led by Hysni Kapo and Ramiz Alia, with the delegation of the Communist Party of China, led by Ten Hsia Pin and Van Tse Zian, held in Beijing on June 10, 1962
The fifth official meeting between the delegation of the Albanian Labor Party and the delegation of the Chinese Communist Party. (Held at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, at 9 a.m. on June 10, 1962)
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: We apologize that we have been very busy for the last three days and have not been able to meet you. A meeting with comrade Mao Zedong in Beijing, is scheduled for you for a few days from now.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: That would be a very good thing.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: How long would you be able to extend your stay in our country?
Comrades Hysni Kapo and Ramiz Alia: This is an issue we can discuss together.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: You also express a desire to visit some of the regions in our country, so we are of the opinion that we can continue our conversations when you return from those visits. Want to visit Tianjin or Northeast China?
Either way, when you return, comrade Mao Zedong will also be back, we can then keep in touch and arrange to talk to you. The Central Committee of our party has not yet invited you to cut bread together. (Laughter)
Some of your friends would like to visit Shanghai and the southern cities. This is something you can do when you leave Beijing during your trip back to Albania. This is what we think, but you should also give us your opinion on it. We will manage the issue of visits according to your wishes and opinions.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: It all depends on the time we have and the flow of our journey.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: We can talk about the course you will take on your return.
Comrade Van Tse Zian: My personal opinion is that when you return to Albania, one of our planes should take you to Rangoon. From there you can use an airplane to cross Western countries. However, I personally still think that (and of course, you will make the final decision yourself), the main companions of your delegation, should once again use a boat for their voyage.
The rest can be returned by air through Rangoon, where we can take them on our plane. We do not have a plane that can take them further. I’m just thinking about safety for key friends.
In the future we are planning to create an airline between Beijing and Cairo, and then to your country, but at the moment we have no itinerary of this kind.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: Are you thinking of such a path?
Comrade Hysni Kapo: We have not thought about such a road, because we do not have the capacity.
Comrade Ramiz Alia: Even the plane that passes through Albania at the moment, belongs to a Dutch airline.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: We are not planning to create such a road, because as you well know we are not able to do that. The plane that now arrives in Tirana follows the route Tirana – Beirut – Rangoon and comes only once in two weeks.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: Is it already set (your return flight)?
Comrade Hysni Kapo: Yes, there will be one flight on June 25 and another on July 11. We, the main comrades of the delegation, have been instructed by the Central Committee to be able to travel by plane, after also consulting with you and if we see it all convenient together.
The reason is that the voyage at sea takes a long time and, moreover, our ship, due to the nature of the cargo it carries, will not stop anywhere. If we return to Albania from China by plane, our arrival here will surely become known, no matter which route we follow.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: It would not matter if it becomes known. We have no objection to which way to take to return. As for our steps, we will take you to Rangoon and there we will get you tickets for your trip to Albania. So if you think it is wise to go back this way, we have no objection to it.
Comrade Ramiz Alia: You should still keep in mind, comrades, that if we follow this path, Western countries will start talking, because we will have to apply for visas from Burma, the United Arab Republic and Italy.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: That does not bother us.
In the future, as Comrade Van Tse Zian said, we are planning to set up an airline to Cairo. Now we are making contacts with the British for the purchase of airplanes, because since many people come to China from Southern countries, the only air route we have with the North is not nearly enough.
That is why we also need an airline in that direction. The point in time when we will decide to start will be decided later. Either way, the plane on this itinerary, will not stop in India because the situation can get complicated, in fact it will not even stop in Ceylon.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: Are you planning to create the itinerary this or next year?
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: We are still in negotiations with the British for the price of the planes. We are actively working to resolve this issue. Since our last meeting, you have brought up some issues. I think we should not talk about some of them today. Friends responsible for handling specific issues directly will inform you in the next round.
As for the issue of international mass organizations, we have the expert here, Comrade …… Yi (name is dark from the scanner and a party seal, but maybe it is Liu Nin Yi) and he will talk to you, but I think he will not give you very good news (laughter). To talk about such issues, the activity of such organizations must be observed in the field. What do you think?
Comrade Hysni Kapo: As for what has happened in the past in these organizations – at least in those in which we have participated, such as the meetings in Stockholm, Moscow, Berlin, etc. – we are fully known, but it always depends on what our delegations have been able to gather information. So if there are even more specific items, you can inform us about them.
Comrade Ramiz Alia: Our people do not participate in the executive bodies of these organizations, so if there are some things that you consider necessary for us to be informed, you can tell us.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: As for our positions on issues, we do not intend to change them, nor is it necessary to do so. Also, as far as the issue of coordinating the activities of both our parties is concerned, this is also an issue that can be easily resolved. Comrade Liu Nin Yi will talk to you about the meeting to be held in Moscow, on the issue of disarmament and peace.
We do not intend to send a delegation of any importance to this meeting; the delegation, will probably be led by Kao Dun, not a party member. We originally intended for Comrade Liu Nin Yi to go, but now we think we cannot send him. Our position on this meeting is neither warm nor cold.
Our plan for the Nitrogen Fertilizer plant issue called on Comrade Chu En Lai and Comrade Li Xiannian to talk to you about this when we discussed the domestic situation. This is an economic problem. I just wanted to say, that our side has some difficulties with such a factory.
Comrade Van Tse Zian: Especially technically, because natural gas will be used as the raw material for this plant.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: We are now in contact with Italians working for a solution to this problem. The Italians are telling us that they have given their technology to the Americans and cannot sell it to us, but they have not spoken openly about it. But we are able to find many ways to solve this problem in the capitalist world.
If we buy it, this issue becomes easier for you to resolve. We also have a lot of natural gas that goes to waste. Either way, we are actively working to resolve this issue that concerns you so much.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: This (plant) is an object that in the state economic planning sector worries us a lot, especially since it has to do with the development of our agriculture, and that is why we wanted to discuss it with you.
We know that at your end, there is a lot of interest about the Italians, but we wanted to know what the opportunities and prospects are for this issue, because that is the main objective of our third five-year plan. We agree to discuss this issue when talking to the friends you mentioned.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: This issue worries us too. The way we produce fertilizers is not economical. Our annual output is less than two million tons, and so we are forced to import fertilizers from the capitalist world. This year we are also anticipating the import of over one million tons. All socialist countries have a deficit in the production of chemical fertilizers.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has only recently begun to produce more fertilizer. Moreover, the complete construction of such a plant is difficult; it takes time, at least three years. This is why it will be difficult for you to build such a plant within this five-year plan. We are not experts, but I know that if coal is used as a raw material, the task will become easier.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: In the conversations you had with the Italians, they had said that such a facility could be built within three years. In the conversations that the friend (Member of the Central Committee), Abdyl Këllezi, had with your friends, it was foreseen that such a facility could be built at the latest before the end of 1966. The deadline has not been set yet, as it was just an exchange of views.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: We will discuss this issue separately. Comrade Li Xiannian knows this better. Another issue that you have presented to us is that of our participation and position in the meetings of organizations and institutions of 12 socialist countries. Organizations of socialist countries have different character. For example, in the Warsaw Pact meeting, we attend only as observers.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: The Economic Council (KNER) and the Warsaw Pact have a different character.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: In the organizations of socialist countries that have such a character, such as the Economic Council (KNER) and the Warsaw Pact, we did not participate, in fact in the last meeting we did not even send observers.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: Before these meetings were called, you also asked us if we received an invitation or not and we did not have any concerns about your position.
Comrade Ten Hsiao Pin: Both of these organizations are of the same character. We also will not participate in them in the future.
Cultural organizations have a different character. These are organizations of a temporary or permanent nature. A permanent organization is, for example, that of the army, the Sports Society of Friendly Armies. We quarreled with them at the meeting of this society, which was to be held in your country, and we have informed you of this.
Now the war in this organization continues. We think it is possible not to participate if this changes the existing rules of the organization. We will participate only on condition that the existing statute of the organization is not changed and that Albania is invited to participate in it.
But there are also organizations with a temporary character. You are not a member of the railway organization. We also place our position on these organizations depending on their character. For example, we did not take part in the gymnastics challenge, which was attended by socialist countries and some European countries. There are also certain temporary meetings attended by representatives of socialist countries and some capitalist countries. One such organization is that of weight lifting.
A permanent organization of socialist countries does not exist, except that of the army.
Comrade Hysni Kapo: Perhaps our intentions to ask these questions have not been understood. As for COMECON and the Warsaw Pact, we did not even ask any questions about them, because no issue to be discussed arose from the exact position that your party and government have taken towards these organizations.
After the cooling of relations with Albania, the possibility of our participation in these organizations was terminated. Not only have we not participated in these organizations, but we have not participated in the commissions either, and we know very well that in the future, any position taken by your party and government towards these organizations will be the correct position.
As to the question of the organizations of the twelve socialist countries, we agree with the classification you make as those of a permanent or temporary character. But we wanted to add that for both the temporary and the permanent ones or for the meetings that take place for the consultation of the representatives of the twelve socialist countries, we are, of course, ready in principle to participate if we are invited.
If they do not invite us, we are sorry, but there is nothing we can do about it. But when eleven socialist countries are invited and Albania is left aside, this is done in order to let the world know that Albania has been expelled from the socialist camp and that it is not a socialist country.
I say this because there is a tendency in the meetings of temporary or permanent organizations and in the consultative meetings of various institutions to leave out Albania. So we wanted to show you that when there are meetings of organizations of the twelve socialist countries, whether temporary or permanent, we agree to attend if we are invited.
If we had been invited to take part in the organization of the railways, we would not have taken part, not because we are against such a meeting, but because we have nothing to discuss on this particular issue as there are no problems in our country. Like that. But when they do not invite us, we consider this an insult to us by the meeting organizers. Here we just wanted to express our perspective on participating in these meetings.
Your party’s position on this issue is very clear to us; has always insisted and continues to make all 12 socialist countries participate in all the meetings of these organizations and not just 11 of them. We know that your party and government have requested the participation of Albania in the meetings of temporary and permanent organizations./Memorie.al
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