Albania highly values bilateral ties with China and rejects any efforts aimed at splitting China, Albanian Foreign Minister Kastriot Islami told Xinhua ahead of an official visit to China Tuesday.  

Albania's support for the one-China policy remains unwavering despite Taiwan separatists' attempt to drag the island further away from the homeland through the "referendum" which failed on March 20. 

The minister told Xinhua that his visit to China is aimed at promoting bilateral ties and at paving the way for a future visit to China by Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nanoand and Parliament Speaker Servet Pellumbi.

He said both sides should make every effort to expand economic and trade cooperation, noting political and diplomatic relations have proved satisfactory through exchange of visits in recent years.

Albania, he said, seeks to develop economic, trade and cultural cooperation with countries like China, which plays an important role in the world, and still hopes to join the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2004)