New York, 8 May 2023 (TDI): China remembers the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO’s Kosovo Air Campaign (Operation Allied Force) in 1999.
According to NATO, the campaign was launched to stop the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Kosovo.
On 7 May 1999, five Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
After the attack, the Chinese government lodged a strong protest and demanded that the US-led NATO take full responsibility for what happened.
The Chinese Government issued a statement that the bombing of its Embassy in Belgrade by US-led NATO constituted a gross encroachment upon China’s sovereignty and a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the basic norms governing international relations.
Also Read: China responds to NATO remarks on Taiwan
On 9th May, Vice President Hu Jintao addressed the Chinese public and said that the attack on the Embassy had aroused strong patriotic feelings in the Chinese people and that the Chinese government will protect all lawful activities of protests.
China also registered strong protests at the Security Council meeting regarding the issue. The Chinese Representative said that whether intentional or not, the incident was a blatant transgression of international law and that NATO should take full responsibility for the incident.
The US representative said that the facts had not been confirmed yet and NATO doesn’t target civilians and embassies, but if it was responsible for the incident, he was deeply sorry. He added that Slobodan Milosevic was responsible for the whole crisis.
The Chinese Embassy in Belgrade also commemorated the killing of the journalists in the bombing.
China’s Ambassador to Serbia thanked Serbian friends for joining the commemoration of the killing of Chinese journalists every year. She pointed out that this highlights the iron friendship between China and Serbia.
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