Soldiers assigned to a surface-to-air missile brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command operate a crane to hoist and load an air-defense missile onto a launching platform during a recent maneuver. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Yuan Hai and Xiang Kun)

Serbia has procured the Chinese FK-3 air defense missile system, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reportedly confirmed on Wednesday, after reports emerged on Saturday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force was delivering the air defense equipment via Y-20 large transport aircraft.

As the export version of the PLA's HQ-22, the FK-3 can significantly enhance Serbia's national defense capabilities, at a time when NATO is dividing the world and could complicate the security situation around Serbia, Chinese analysts said on Wednesday.

Serbia procured the Chinese FK-3 air defense missile system transparently, complying with laws and regulations, and it followed procedures, Vucic said, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday. Vucic was accused by other politicians of "arming the country by the hands of competitors of Europe and NATO."

Serbia has found its own path based on the will of its people, and the Serbian people are proud of themselves for protecting their own country by themselves rather than letting NATO do it in their names, Vucic was quoted in the CCTV report as saying.

The CCTV report came after foreign reports said a large number of the PLA Air Force's Y-20 cargo planes were spotted in Serbia on Saturday, and speculation claimed that the FK-3 air defense missile system was being delivered to the Serbian military.

The FK-3 is an all-weather, medium-to-long range surface-to-air defense missile system that can carry out missions in complex electromagnetic environments. It can intercept targets including fixed-wing aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, tactical air-to-ground missiles and helicopters, according to promotional materials distributed at previous defense exhibitions.

As a medium-altitude air defense weapon comparable to the US' Patriot air defense missile, the FK-3 missile system can serve as a powerful deterrent against aircraft including fighter jets and bombers that are on missions like defense penetration, precision strikes and bombing, Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

It will play a very important role for Serbia at a time when the security situation in Europe is changing, Wang said. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine goes on, many countries are gravitating toward or away from the West, and the US-led NATO is the one that is dividing the world, he said.

Serbia has been a victim of air raids, so it is natural that the country invests in its air defense capabilities, analysts said. In 1999, NATO launched a 78-day bombing of Yugoslavia, causing thousands of casualties including three Chinese citizens, and displacing hundreds of thousands.

As an air defense system, the FK-3 is defensive in nature, and it will not harm regional peace and stability, experts said.

In order to carry out an annually scheduled cooperation project between China and Serbia, China recently sent transport aircraft of the PLA Air Force to Serbia to deliver normal military goods, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference on Monday, when a reporter asked him to confirm if China recently delivered the HQ-22 air defense system to Serbia, and if the move was related to the current situation in Ukraine.

This project is not targeted at any third party, nor is it related to the current situation, Zhao said, noting that media should not interpret it too much.