NATO officials said at the time that the embassy was mistakenly struck during a military intervention intended to protect Kosovo’s Albanian majority from massacre by Slobodan Milošević’s forces. While the United States and other NATO allies supported the decision to use force in what was then Yugoslavia, the alliance’s legacy is more complicated in the Balkans and Beijing.
During the 78 days of airstrikes, many civilians were killed. Human Rights Watch put the death toll at 500 while Serbian officials said the number was closer to 2,000. The country’s leaders remain committed to staying out of NATO.
In China, the embassy bombing sparked widespread outrage, sparking rare protests and a diplomatic incident between Washington and Beijing. Chinese authorities and much of the public did not believe – and still do not – that it was an accident.
“The China-Serbia friendship, forged with the blood of our compatriots, will remain in the common memory of the Chinese and Serbian people,” Xi wrote.
Serbia will be the second stop on Xi’s trip to Europe – his first in five years. He spent two days in France and will travel to Hungary for the final leg of the trip.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will host Xi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
China has been seeking opportunities to strengthen ties with the Balkan region under its Belt and Road Initiative for a decade. China is now the largest foreign investor in Serbia.
Xi first visited Serbia in 2016, when a series of bilateral agreements, including the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, were signed, reflecting China’s attempt to strengthen its presence in the Balkans and beyond widely in Europe.
Politico
