BELGRADE, May 7. /TASS/. China will never forget the 1999 NATO air strike on the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, President Xi Jinping said in an article for Serbia’s Politika newspaper.

"Twenty-five years ago, NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese reporters: Shao Yunhuan, Xu Xinghu and his wife Zhu Ying," he wrote. "We should never forget this. The Chinese people cherish peace, but we will never allow such a tragic incident to happen again," he emphasized.

He added that the China-Serbia friendship, sealed with blood, will remain in the common memory of the Chinese and Serbian peoples.

Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Serbia on May 7 and 8. The Chinese Foreign Ministry recalled that this visit to Serbia will be the first in eight years and will be "an important milestone in the improvement and renewal of China-Serbia relations." Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic are expected to discuss the international and regional situation, improve the level of China-Serbia relations, and chart a course for the development of bilateral ties.

On May 7, 1999, during a military operation against Yugoslavia, NATO aircraft struck the Chinese embassy building in Belgrade. As a result, three people were killed and 21 injured.