Chairman: How long have you been in China? Did you all come together?

Heads of Delegations: The press delegation arrived in China on April 21, while the delegations from the Labor Youth League and the Trade Union both came on April 26. The archives delegation arrived on April 3.

Chairman: Your party is a very good party, and your country is a very good country. Relations between our two parties and our two countries are also very good. Both our parties and our two countries are under attack by revisionism. We need to analyze these attacks: First, they are bad—of course it’s not good when they attack us; but secondly, they can be beneficial. Revisionists criticize us, and that actually helps us. If they didn’t criticize us, that would be a problem. Similarly, revisionists do not provide us with economic aid or technical assistance; they even withdraw their experts. This, too, requires analysis. On the one hand, it’s certainly undesirable—their withdrawal of experts means we lose valuable support. But on the other hand, it pushes us to rely on ourselves and become self-reliant, doesn’t it? We must strive for self-reliance and not fear difficulties.

Have you ever been to ××? If you have the chance, it would be best to visit that country, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be you personally. … They have developed heavy industry there and achieved self-sufficiency. Our own agriculture has yet to overcome its challenges, whereas theirs has already succeeded; their agricultural situation is better than ours. We have many friends. Imperialists, reactionaries, and revisionists are trying to isolate us, but they won’t succeed.

We are the majority. They don’t have many supporters. The vast majority of people do not approve of imperialism, reactionaries, or revisionism. Even in countries led by revisionist regimes, the people do not necessarily welcome revisionism. You are familiar with this situation. The people are generally good, including those in revisionist-led countries. Nor are all cadres bad; it’s not as if everyone is a revisionist. It is the revisionist leadership clique that is at fault.

How much longer will you be staying in China?

Heads of Delegations: The trade union delegation will remain for another month, the press delegation and the youth league delegation for twenty more days, and the archives delegation is scheduled to depart on June 7.

Chairman: You are free to travel around. In recent years, our situation has improved somewhat after several difficult years. Both the political and economic conditions are now better. However, challenges still remain—there are quite a few difficulties—and there are still some problems within society and within the Party. These difficulties can be overcome; we are currently working to resolve them.

In socialist countries, capitalist elements often emerge. Some Communist Party members merely hang onto their party membership cards while in fact acting as bourgeois elements. This does not constitute the majority, but a certain proportion of cadres engage in speculation, corruption, embezzlement, and extravagance. The issue of waste is particularly serious. If we could properly address it, we could save billions of dollars. The Americans will not lend us money, nor will other socialist countries. So we have resorted to borrowing from bureaucrats. (The foreign guests laugh.)

Mamaki (Head of the Press Delegation): The United States lent money to them—that is, to Yugoslavia, which claimed to be building socialism.

Chairman: You have a “good” neighbor (referring to Yugoslavia). They keep you on your toes and oppose you. Yugoslavia and other capitalist countries surround you.

Mamaki: But we have many friends, and our people are very strong because they stand together with the Chinese people.

Chairman: Even if China were a capitalist country, you would not be destroyed.

Lubonia (Head of the Labor Youth League Delegation): Nevertheless, we feel fortunate that China has provided us with internationalist assistance, which has greatly encouraged us.

Chairman: However, the assistance has been limited. There are still some critical scientific and technological issues that we have not yet resolved ourselves, so we must purchase technology from capitalist countries. Therefore, we cannot fully meet your needs, and we deeply regret this. In another five to ten years, things will be better.

Mamaki: Revisionists are attempting to sabotage our Five-Year Plan, while you are helping us.

Chairman: Have you made any changes to your original Five-Year Plan?

Gibero (Head of the Trade Union Delegation): Yes, generally speaking, some projects have been added, particularly large-scale ones.

Mamaki: There have been some adjustments to the Five-Year Plan, but overall, the additions outweigh the reductions. Last winter’s weather had a significant impact on agriculture: excessive rainfall led to flooding.

Chairman: How is spring production going?

Mamaki: It was still raining until March.

Chairman: You’ve had too much rain, while some of our areas have lacked sufficient precipitation.

Mamaki: If possible, we could send some of our rain over to you. (Laughter throughout the room)

Lubonia: Shenyang hadn’t seen rain for a long time, but as soon as our Labor Youth League delegation arrived, it started to rain.

Chairman: That’s wonderful. You should take the opportunity to visit the countryside. Here in Shanghai, spring production is going well, with wheat, rapeseed, broad beans, and peas being cultivated.

Lubonia: We traveled by train from Beijing to Shanghai and observed excellent crop growth along the way, especially between Shandong and Shanghai. What impressed us most was that farmers had not left a single inch of land fallow.

Chairman: That’s because we have very limited arable land—on average, only about one-fifth of a hectare per person, and in regions south of the Yangtze River, less than one-fifteenth of a hectare per person. We fight tooth and nail for every bit of land; otherwise, there simply isn’t enough food. Here, we cultivate twice a year: wheat in winter and rice in summer. In some southern areas, they skip the wheat crop altogether and plant two rice crops—early and late rice. In the northeast, however, there is only one wheat season, with just 120 frost-free days. The conditions here near Shanghai are relatively favorable. Shanghai lies at 31 degrees north latitude. At what latitude are you located?

Lubonia: We are at the same latitude as Beijing. The city of Gjirokastër—Comrade Hoxha’s hometown—is situated at the same northern latitude as Beijing.

Chairman: Beijing is at 40 degrees north latitude. Please convey my greetings to Comrade Hoxha, as well as to Comrades Shehu, Kaba, Baluku, Alia, and Kelezi. I know all of these comrades well.

Lubonia: We will certainly pass on your greetings. When we departed, our comrades repeatedly asked us to extend their warmest regards to Chairman Mao and to wish you continued good health.

Chairman: Thank you.

Lubonia: Your good health benefits not only the Chinese people but also the international communist movement.

Chairman: Imperialists, reactionaries, and revisionists hurl insults at us. We must join forces with over ninety percent of the world’s population to oppose them. If we unite with such a broad majority, how can we possibly be isolated? India is still ruled by reactionaries, yet the Indian people treat us very well.

Lubonia: Some of our comrades have visited China before, and this latest visit has shown us the tremendous changes that have taken place, which has been immensely inspiring. I first came to China in 1957, and this time I hardly recognize Beijing anymore. The Ten Great Projects are truly masterpieces of human ingenuity—only a people as talented as the Chinese could have built them. We were also deeply impressed by the industrial exhibition in Shanghai, where we saw highly precise instruments being produced alongside robust heavy industry. This has filled us with great enthusiasm and joy. Under the leadership of the Albanian Labor Party headed by Comrade Hoxha, we are engaged in a struggle against imperialism and revisionism, and your party’s heroic stance has served as a powerful source of inspiration for us. Our Labor Party and Comrade Hoxha have repeatedly instructed us to learn from you. Our meeting with the Chinese Youth League has further strengthened our revolutionary spirit.

Chairman: It’s not about one country supporting another; it’s about mutual support. It’s not about one country helping another; it’s about helping each other. When you stand up to oppose revisionism, people all over the world rejoice—not just the Chinese.

Lubonia: That is our internationalist duty.

Chairman: Indeed, it is an internationalist duty—for you as well as for us. Internationalism should mean adhering to Marxism-Leninism and providing mutual support.

Do you have any other activities planned for today?

Foreign Guest: The chairman’s audience is the most important event of the day.

Chairman: We haven’t had much time to talk today, but there will be further opportunities in the future.

Lubonia: The chairman’s reception of us is not only a great honor for us personally, but also for the Albanian people, the Labor Party, and the youth. It is undoubtedly the most unforgettable event of our lives.

Chairman: Thank you for coming to see me.