Xi Jinping's Symbolic Visit, 25 Years After Bomb Attack in Serbia

The bombing brought China-Serbia relations closer. Serbia is China's second largest trading partner in Europe.

AP PHOTO/DARKO VOJINOVIC

A photo archive on August 26, 2021 shows vehicles passing by a billboard featuring Chinese President Xi Jinping in Belgrade, Serbia. Xi is set to make a return visit to Serbia on May 7, 2024.

BELGRADE, TUESDAY — President China Xi Jinping continues visit Europe to Serbia. The visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air war over Kosovo on May 7, 1999.

Xi mentioned the bombing in an opinion article published in the Serbian newspaper, Politika, Tuesday's edition (7/5/2024). He wrote, “We must not forget that 25 years ago, NATO dared to bomb the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. The Chinese people value peace, but will never allow such a historic tragedy to happen again.”

The bombing brought China and Serbia's relations closer together. China has provided the largest foreign direct investment for Serbia. Serbia also became China's second largest trading partner in the region after the European Union.

Beijing opposes NATO's bombing and has since supported Belgrade's efforts against the Western-backed independence of Kosovo. In return, Serbia has become a loyal ally of Beijing and has opened its doors wide open to Chinese investments worth billions of US dollars. However, Serbia is also trying to become an official member of the European Union.

Also read: Serbia becomes a starting point for expanding China's military influence in Europe

"The friendship forged in blood between the Chinese and Serbian people has become a shared memory between the two nations and will inspire both sides to move forward together," wrote Xi.

He also mentioned that China is willing to work with Serbia, hand in hand for progress, and write a new chapter in national development and revitalization. "Building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era," wrote Xi.

AP PHOTO/DARKO VOJINOVIC

Workers install a Chinese flag on a skyscraper in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday (4/5/2024), ahead of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Five bombs

On May 7, 1999, a US jet plane dropped five bombs in the complex of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia. The bombs burned the building and killed three Chinese citizens. Twenty other people were injured.

The incident has burdened the relationship between China and the US. The US called the bombing an intelligence mistake. Initially, NATO launched an air strike in March 1999 to force Serbia's strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, to end attacks against ethnic Albanian groups in Kosovo who were considered rebellious.

The target, according to Washington, was the headquarters of Serbia's arms exporter located on the same street as the Chinese Embassy. However, due to an intelligence error, the bomb hit the wrong target. The US has apologized for it at that time.

The friendship forged in blood between the people of China and Serbia becomes a joint memory between the two nations and will inspire both sides to move forward together.

Quoting BBC on May 7, 2019, as a result of the bombing, enraged protesters stormed the US diplomatic complex in China. The bombing also triggered anti-America sentiment. There are speculations circulating that the attack was intentional. Distrust of the incident still persists until now.

"Imagine someone, even accidentally, attacking the United States Embassy in a location anywhere in the world. It will surely prompt a reaction. So, for a country like China, it is clearly a big deal. Of course, it cannot be forgotten," explained Sven Biscop, a professor of foreign policy and European security at Ghent University and the Egmont Institute.

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Biscop added that during war, incidents like that are common. "I usually tend to look for the simplest explanation instead of trying to create complex theories. We may never really know for sure," said Biscop.

AP PHOTO/DARKO VOJINOVIC

In the photo on April 29, 2024, the building of the China Cultural Center can be seen, which was built on the former site of the Chinese Embassy that was bombed on May 7, 1999 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Signs of pro-China sentiment are already visible ahead of Xi's visit this time. In Belgrade, large Chinese flags are hung on skyscrapers along the road leading from the airport to the city. Chinese and Serbian flags can be seen in the city center and along the highway.

In Belgrade, Xi will visit the former location of the bombed Chinese Embassy and pay tribute to the victims. A Chinese cultural center now stands on the former embassy site.

There is a Confucius Institute, a workshop, an exhibition, offices, residences, and a hotel located there. This is seen as a symbol of China's increasing influence in Serbia and throughout Europe.

Near the institute, a simple monument made of black marble was built. The inscription on the monument reads "Respect the Martyrs, Value Peace" in Mandarin and English.

After visiting Serbia, Xi will visit Hungary. (AP)