China Urges NATO to Reflect on its1999 ‘Barbaric’ Bombing of Chinese Embassy in Belgrade

Monday, 08 May 2023 10:25 PM 

Representatives from Chinese enterprises mourn in front of the memorial monument at the site of the bombed former Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Serbia, May 7, 2023. (Photo by Xinhua)

China’s Foreign Ministry has called on the US-led NATO military alliance to reflect on its “barbaric crime” of bombing the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia 24 years and killing three journalists, insisting that Chinese people will never forget the lives lost to defend truth and justice.

The US-led NATO should seriously reflect on its crimes and abandon its out-of-date Cold War mentality to stop stirring up conflicts, splits and chaos, said the ministry’s spokesperson Wang Wenbin during a press briefing on Monday when asked to comment on the 24th anniversary of the embassy bombing in Belgrade by NATO forces during its aggression against former Yugoslavia.

NATO carried out the brutal missile attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on May 7, 1999, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring more than 20 of its diplomats.

While claiming itself as a regional and defensive organization, NATO has continued heightening regional tensions and making bloc confrontations, Wang emphasized as cited in a report by China’s Global Times newspaper, pointing to numerous victims, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.

"The wars NATO launched and participated in after 2001 alone have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of tens of millions of people. Recently, NATO's continued eastward movement into the Asia-Pacific region to provoke bloc confrontation has aroused high alert among regional countries," Wang further underlined.

He went on to urge the US-led military alliance to seriously reflect on its crimes, stop provoking antagonism and turmoil, and do things beneficial to long-lasting peace and stability for Europe and the world.

During the press briefing, Wang also vowed that China will implement countermeasures against the European Union (EU) if the bloc imposes sanctions on Chinese companies over alleged assistance to Russia in the Ukraine war, urging the EU to avoid taking the "wrong path."

"The European side should not make a mistake, otherwise Beijing will be forced to resolutely protect its rationally justified legal rights," a foreign ministry official said.

According to the report, the Chinese Embassy in Serbia held a commemoration at the site of the bombed former Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on Sunday to honor the three journalists -- Shao Yunhuan of the Xinhua News Agency, and Xu Xinghu and his wife Zhu Ying of the Guangming Daily newspaper.

"Twenty-four years have passed, but every scene in that grievous night will be remembered!" said China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo as quoted in the report.

Serbian Minister of Sport Zoran Gajic and dozens of other officials and civilians laid wreaths and flowers at the memorial monument.