BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to European ally Serbia on Tuesday falls on a symbolic date: the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO’s air war over Kosovo.
U.S. jets dropped five bombs on the Chinese Embassy compound in the Serbian capital on May 7, 1999, setting it ablaze and killing three Chinese nationals. Twenty other people were injured in the incident, which has burdened relations between the two powers ever since.
Xi referred to the bombing in an op-ed published in Serbia’s Politika newspaper on Tuesday, saying that “we must not forget that 25 years ago today, NATO brazenly bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia,” according to translations carried by Chinese state media.
“The Chinese people value peace but will never allow historical tragedies to happen again,” Xi added.
Teyana Taylor strips down during VERY raunchy burlesque show at NY's Paradise Club in front of star
Ordos holds grand light show in China and abroad
Xinjiang sees tourism rebound in first two months
Consumer groups push Congress to uphold automatic refunds for airline passengers
Queen Mary admits she's 'overwhelmed' in her new role
Yamamoto pitches six scoreless innings and Pages hits a 2
Chinese researchers develop new algorithm to recognize coronal mass ejections
Real Madrid thrash Celta to cement top spot
Chad holds presidential election after years of military rule
World's largest plant discovered off Australian coast
Yadav unbeaten ton helps Mumbai end losing streak in IPL
Refugee Team for Paris Olympics has 36 athletes from 11 countries across 12 sports