Representatives from Chinese enterprises mourn in front of the memorial monument at the site of the bombed former Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Serbia, May 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

The Chinese people will never forget the blood and lives paid to defend truth, fairness and justice, and NATO's barbaric crime of bombing the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry when asked to comment on the 24th anniversary of the killing of three Chinese journalists during NATO's aggression in Yugoslavia.

The US-led NATO should seriously reflect on its crimes and abandon its out-of-date Cold War mentality to stop stirring up conflicts, splits and chaos, the ministry's spokesperson Wang Wenbin emphasized at Monday's press conference. 

On May 7, 1999, NATO carried out a brutal missile attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring more than 20 Chinese diplomats.

On Sunday, the Chinese Embassy in Serbia held a commemoration at the site of the bombed former Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in Belgrade to honor the three martyrs - Shao Yunhuan of the Xinhua News Agency, and Xu Xinghu and his wife Zhu Ying of the Guangming Daily newspaper.

"24 years have passed, but every scene in that grievous night will be remembered!" said China's Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo. Serbian Minister of Sport Zoran Gajic and dozens of officials and civilians laid wreaths and flowers at the memorial monument.

While claiming itself as a regional and defensive organization, NATO has kept exaggerating regional tensions and making bloc confrontations, said Wang, listing victims including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.

"The wars NATO launched and participated in after 2001 alone have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of tens of millions of people. Recently, NATO's continued eastward movement into the Asia-Pacific region to provoke bloc confrontation has aroused high alert among regional countries," said Wang.

In place of the ruined embassy building, a memorial monument now stands, carved with the Chinese characters "Remember the martyrs, cherish the peace." Wang said NATO should seriously reflect on its crimes, stop provoking antagonism and turmoil, and do things beneficial to long-lasting peace and stability for Europe and the world.

Global Times