Belgrade: Chinese leaders Xi JinpingVisit European Allies Serbia Tuesday is a symbolic day: the 25th anniversary of the bombings Chinese Embassy exist belgrade During the end of the NATO air war Kosovo.
On May 7, 1999, U.S. warplanes dropped five bombs on the Chinese Embassy building in the capital of Serbia, causing the building to catch fire and killing three Chinese citizens. .
Xi Jinping mentioned the bombing in an opinion piece published in Serbian newspaper Politico on Tuesday, saying “we must not forget that 25 years ago today, NATO blatantly bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia,” according to a translation by Chinese state media. .
“The Chinese people cherish peace but will never allow historical tragedies to happen again,” Xi added.
The Western military alliance launched an air war in March that year, forcing then-Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to end a brutal attack on Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian rebels.
The United States apologized at the time and said the embassy bombing was an error due to an intelligence error. Washington said the intended target was the headquarters of Serbia’s state arms exporter, located on the same street and a few blocks away.
“Imagine someone attacking U.S. embassies around the world, even by chance. The reaction would be immediate,” said Sven Biskop, professor of European foreign and security policy at Ghent University and the Egmont Institute.
“So for a country like China, this is obviously a big deal,” he added. “Of course it hasn’t been forgotten.”
Angry protesters in China attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities as the bombings fueled anti-American sentiment and fueled speculation that the attacks were deliberate rather than accidental. Distrust of the incident remains to this day.
“We may never really know for sure either way,” Biskop said. “But one thing is for sure. In war, similar events do happen, and I usually tend to look for the simplest explanation. , rather than trying to invent complex theories.”
Although the embassy bombing has strained relations between Beijing and the United States, it has also brought China and Serbia closer. China has become Serbia’s largest provider of foreign direct investment and its second largest trading partner after the EU.
Beijing objects NATO bombing campaign and has since supported Belgrade’s efforts to fight for independence from the Western-backed former Serbian province of Kosovo. In return, Serbia has been a loyal ally of Beijing, opening its doors to billions of dollars of Chinese investment without restrictions while formally seeking to join the European Union.
Xi Jinping wrote: “The friendship forged with the blood of the people of China and Serbia has become the common memory of the two peoples, inspiring both sides to move forward together.” We are willing to work with our Serbian friends to not forget our original aspirations, forge ahead hand in hand, and write an exciting new chapter in national development. chapter to build a China-Serbia community with a shared future for mankind in the new era.”
Signs of pro-China sentiment were evident ahead of Xi’s visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Belgrade, a huge Chinese flag was placed on a skyscraper on the road leading into the city from the airport. Smaller Chinese and Serbian flags can be seen in the city center and along the highway.
Serbian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets escorted President Xi Jinping’s special plane to Belgrade Airport.
Xi Jinping arrived from France and will then travel to Hungary as part of his first European trip in five years.
He is expected to visit the site of the former embassy and express his condolences to the victims of the bombing. The former site of the embassy is now the Chinese Cultural Center.
The sprawling complex reportedly includes a Confucius Institute, studios, exhibitions, offices, residential space and a hotel. It is seen as a symbol of China’s growing influence in Serbia and across Europe.
Near the institute last weekend, a group of tourists from China bowed and laid flowers at a simple black marble memorial to the victims of the 1999 bombing. The monument reads in Chinese and English: “Commemorate the martyrs and cherish peace.”
On May 7, 1999, U.S. warplanes dropped five bombs on the Chinese Embassy building in the capital of Serbia, causing the building to catch fire and killing three Chinese citizens. .
Xi Jinping mentioned the bombing in an opinion piece published in Serbian newspaper Politico on Tuesday, saying “we must not forget that 25 years ago today, NATO blatantly bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia,” according to a translation by Chinese state media. .
“The Chinese people cherish peace but will never allow historical tragedies to happen again,” Xi added.
The Western military alliance launched an air war in March that year, forcing then-Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to end a brutal attack on Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian rebels.
The United States apologized at the time and said the embassy bombing was an error due to an intelligence error. Washington said the intended target was the headquarters of Serbia’s state arms exporter, located on the same street and a few blocks away.
“Imagine someone attacking U.S. embassies around the world, even by chance. The reaction would be immediate,” said Sven Biskop, professor of European foreign and security policy at Ghent University and the Egmont Institute.
“So for a country like China, this is obviously a big deal,” he added. “Of course it hasn’t been forgotten.”
Angry protesters in China attacked U.S. diplomatic facilities as the bombings fueled anti-American sentiment and fueled speculation that the attacks were deliberate rather than accidental. Distrust of the incident remains to this day.
“We may never really know for sure either way,” Biskop said. “But one thing is for sure. In war, similar events do happen, and I usually tend to look for the simplest explanation. , rather than trying to invent complex theories.”
Although the embassy bombing has strained relations between Beijing and the United States, it has also brought China and Serbia closer. China has become Serbia’s largest provider of foreign direct investment and its second largest trading partner after the EU.
Beijing objects NATO bombing campaign and has since supported Belgrade’s efforts to fight for independence from the Western-backed former Serbian province of Kosovo. In return, Serbia has been a loyal ally of Beijing, opening its doors to billions of dollars of Chinese investment without restrictions while formally seeking to join the European Union.
Xi Jinping wrote: “The friendship forged with the blood of the people of China and Serbia has become the common memory of the two peoples, inspiring both sides to move forward together.” We are willing to work with our Serbian friends to not forget our original aspirations, forge ahead hand in hand, and write an exciting new chapter in national development. chapter to build a China-Serbia community with a shared future for mankind in the new era.”
Signs of pro-China sentiment were evident ahead of Xi’s visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Belgrade, a huge Chinese flag was placed on a skyscraper on the road leading into the city from the airport. Smaller Chinese and Serbian flags can be seen in the city center and along the highway.
Serbian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets escorted President Xi Jinping’s special plane to Belgrade Airport.
Xi Jinping arrived from France and will then travel to Hungary as part of his first European trip in five years.
He is expected to visit the site of the former embassy and express his condolences to the victims of the bombing. The former site of the embassy is now the Chinese Cultural Center.
The sprawling complex reportedly includes a Confucius Institute, studios, exhibitions, offices, residential space and a hotel. It is seen as a symbol of China’s growing influence in Serbia and across Europe.
Near the institute last weekend, a group of tourists from China bowed and laid flowers at a simple black marble memorial to the victims of the 1999 bombing. The monument reads in Chinese and English: “Commemorate the martyrs and cherish peace.”
