Chinese President Xi Jinping expects the strengthening of the "iron friendship" between Beijing and Belgrade.
Today he will arrive in the Serbian capital for a two-day official visit.
"I look forward to meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serbian leaders and friends," the Chinese leader said in an op-ed for Serbian official Politika.
"There has always been an affinity between the peoples of China and Serbia, despite the great distance between us. During the fierce anti-fascist war and during the period of their own state building in the last century, the peoples of the two countries have won a steely friendship that spans time and space. In the midst of the ongoing transformation of the world, unprecedented in a century, the mutual support of the two countries is stronger, the mutually beneficial cooperation is closer, while our exchanges and mutual learning are more meaningful," Xi Jinping said.
The Chinese president also criticized NATO. He stated that on May 7, 1999, there was a "brutal bombing" of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The president warned that Beijing "will never allow such a tragic story to be repeated."
In 1999, NATO conducted Operation Allied Force against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to force Belgrade to end its brutal repression of the Kosovo Albanians and withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo.
In a tragic incident, missiles of the military bloc fell on the Chinese embassy, and three people died.
"25 years ago today, NATO brutally bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists. This should never be forgotten. The Chinese people value peace, but we will never allow such a tragic story to be repeated," the Chinese leader said .
Beijing has poured billions into Serbia, particularly in mining and manufacturing. Beijing and Belgrade signed a free trade agreement last year. /BGNES
