China expresses help for Serbia in renewed Kosovo clashes involving NATO troops

BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday expressed its help for Serbia’s efforts to “safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity” following renewed violence between ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.

China’s ruling Communist Party has lengthy been a critic of the NATO alliance, stemming partly from the bombing of Beijing’s embassy in Belgrade in the course of the 1999 air marketing campaign to finish Serbia’s brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

The bombing, by which three Chinese journalists have been killed, has lengthy been utilized by Beijing to mobilize anti-Western sentiment. The U.S. apologized for the assault, blaming it on defective intelligence. Its diplomatic missions in Beijing and different Chinese cities have been assaulted within the fallout, setting ties on a unfavourable trajectory that has grown ever extra tense lately.

China, together with Russia and Serbia, doesn’t acknowledge Kosovo’s 2008 independence and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday positioned the blame for the violence on a failure to respect Serbian political rights.

“We oppose unilateral actions by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo,” Mao stated at a every day information briefing, referring to the Kosovo authorities in Pristina.

Despite Serbs boycotting latest native elections and in search of to forestall ethnic Albanian mayors from taking workplace, Mao stated Serbs ought to be granted management over municipalities the place they type majorities.

Violence was sparked when Serbs tried to take over the places of work of one of many municipalities in northern Kosovo the place Albanian mayors took up their posts final week. At least 30 troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping drive in Kosovo, KFOR, have been injured on Monday.

“We urge NATO to earnestly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the relevant countries and truly do what is conducive to regional peace,” Mao stated.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was anticipated to fulfill with the Russian and Chinese ambassadors in an effort to point out he has help for his insurance policies.

NATO’s navy intervention in 1999 finally compelled Serbia to tug out of the territory, however the dispute stays a flashpoint for battle in jap Europe.