PRESS RELEASE
On the visit of the Governor of the Bank of Albania, Mr. Ardian Fullani, to the People's Bank of China

During the first week of November, upon the invitation of the Governor of the People's Bank of China, Mr. Zhou Xiaochuan, the Governor of the Bank of Albania, Mr. Ardian Fullani, visited officially the People's Republic of China.

In the meeting with the Governor of the People's Bank of China, Mr. Fullani introduced the developments in the Albanian economy, in particular in the financial and banking market. In addition, the Governor presented the initiatives undertaken by the Bank of Albania in improving the interbank market and in reaching the standards of a modern central bank.

The Chinese Governor took this opportunity to appraise the good historical relations between the two countries and to express his willingness to further extend the cooperation in the areas of foreign reserve management, monetary policy and financial stability.

On his behalf, Mr. Fullani appraised the good work made by the People's Bank of China, in terms of maintaining both macroeconomic and financial stability in a time when China is experiencing a rapid economic development and overheating in certain sectors of the economy, under a rapid credit growth.

During his visit to China, Mr. Fullani also had a meeting with Mr. Wang Huaqing, Chairman Assistant of China Banking Regulatory Commission, which is the supervisory and regulatory institution of Chinese financial institutions. Governor Fullani introduced the Chairman Assistant with the developments in the banking and financial system, and with the steps being undertaken by the Bank of Albania to improve banking supervision. During this meeting the two parties agreed upon the institutional cooperation in the area of banking supervision.

Another important meeting of the Governor of the Bank of Albania in the People's Republic of China was that with Mr. Bryan Stiles, Deputy Executive Officer of HSBC Bank. The investment opportunities in Albania from HSBC Bank were at the focus of this meeting.

During his stay in China, Mr. Fullani also had a meeting with Mr. James Liu, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Stock Exchange. Worth mentioning is the fact that Shanghai Stock Exchange, which has played a very significant role in the economic development of the country, has been operating for 17 years and its index has increased constantly.

Among the official meetings, Governor Fullani also had a meeting with Mr. Hu Pingxi, Vice President of People's Bank of China Shanghai Branch.