On May 7, 1999, the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed by a US military B2 stealth bomber . Three laser-guided bombs directly hit the Chinese Embassy building. The violent explosion not only destroyed the main body of the building, but also killed three Chinese journalists who were working. This bombing incident also became an eternal pain in the hearts of that generation of Chinese people.
Museum bombing story
After the outbreak of the Yugoslavia Civil War in 1999, the United States-led NATO blatantly intervened in the Yugoslavia war by military means. This time, the US military's combat method was very special. It did not send large-scale ground troops into Yugoslavia. Instead, it used air power to bomb military facilities and important places in Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia’s military strength is not weak, but it pales in comparison to the United States and NATO. US military fighter jets quickly destroyed Yugoslavia’s air defense forces and bombed the entire country into ruins. At that time, most of the embassies around the world in Yugoslavia had evacuated, and only the staff of the Chinese Embassy remained there.
This is mainly because Yugoslavia has always been a friendly country to China. The Chinese Embassy's continued presence there can firstly show my country's attitude against US military interference in other countries' internal affairs. Secondly, the embassy is also my country's news base and can report the real situation on the Yugoslav battlefield in a timely manner.
Logically speaking, The location of the Chinese Embassy is public . The US military should be very clear about the actual location of the embassy. During the previous bombing, the US military also specifically bypassed the embassy and did not attack it. Moreover, the embassy is a very special facility. According to international practice, the embassy belongs to Chinese territory . If the US military bombs the embassy, it is equivalent to a direct attack on the Chinese mainland.
Such an almost impossible event really happened to the Chinese Embassy. A US B2 stealth bomber used three ground-penetrating bombs equipped with laser guidance components to accurately hit the main building of the Chinese Embassy . The bombs exploded directly from the roof through the basement. The violent explosion killed three Chinese journalists working in the embassy.
After the attack on our embassy, our government was greatly shocked. At first, the country did not realize that the embassy had been bombed. After all, who would have thought that the US military would dare to use force directly against China despite the disapproval of the world. At the strong request of the Chinese government, the United Nations cooperated with the Chinese investigation team to conduct an inspection of the site.
The truth about the explosion soon came to light. That night, more than one Yugoslav citizen witnessed three US military bombs vertically hitting the Chinese Embassy . As soon as the news came out, the Chinese government was furious, and the Chinese people also hated the United States. There were also many voices criticizing the United States in the world. After all, blatantly trampling on the sovereignty of a world power would pose a huge threat to international security.
The U.S. military also came up with its own explanation in the face of accountability from China and the international community, saying that the B2 bomber crew that performed the mission mistook the Chinese Embassy for a military target because used an old map, and it was an accidental bombing. This statement from the Americans is simply a lie to fools, and is simply unacceptable to our government and people.
You must know that the most advanced B2 bomber of the US military is performing the bombing mission. The detailed data of this aircraft is still the top secret of the US military. Another great feature of B2 is that it is specially developed for precision strikes. The bombs dropped by are all the US military's new generation guided weapons , which are extremely accurate.
If it were an unguided iron bomb dropped by the traditional bomber , it would be reasonable to use the accidental explosion as an excuse. It is simply unheard of for a weapon like the B2, which represents the highest level of technology in the US military, to accidentally explode.Seeing that China did not accept this excuse, the United States finally had no choice but to publicly apologize to our country and pay more than 30 million US dollars in compensation.
Why does our country swallow its anger?
After the museum bombing incident, many people criticized the attitude of the Chinese government . Although the Chinese government has indeed been trying to hold the United States responsible for the incident, this level of response is obviously inconsistent with the expectations of the public. After all, the US military directly bombed Chinese territory this time, which was a naked military invasion. China, as a world power, should respond reciprocally.
Having said that, the actual situation at the time was that China and the United States were not equal countries . Although China and the United States are both world powers, the United States' national power was much stronger than China's at that time. It's not that our government doesn't want the United States to pay for its blood debt, but that China at the time did not have such capabilities.
The then national leader Jiang Zemin also lamented this, saying The Chinese people must endure hardships. This sentence also revealed the national leaders at that time's helplessness about the objective gap between China and the United States. To win a peaceful and equal development environment, China must become stronger.
Objectively speaking, China's seemingly resigned approach at the time was already the best response . If it were to force a head-on confrontation with the United States, it would do more harm than good to China's development. The reason why I say this is because the United States' direct bombing of our embassy is really strange.
Although the United States is a hegemonic country, it is obviously impossible to occupy the position of the world's number one power for such a long time without sufficient political wisdom. This time the United States dared to blatantly trample on international law and launch a bombing.
We are facing an enemy in the open, and China cannot act rashly, otherwise it may fall into the trap of the United States. So when the United States decided to apologize and pay compensation, our country accepted it. After all, for our country, only when can truly develop into a powerful country that can be on an equal footing with the United States can it compete with and , which are face-to-face with the United States.
The mystery behind the bombing
Today, China's national and military power have made great progress. Gone are the days when the United States relied on force to bully China. When China and the United States conflict, my country has the ability to respond reciprocally . This also shows that the decision-making of our government at that time was wise and far-sighted.
However, the truth behind the US bombing of our embassy is still confusing to this day. There are also different opinions about the bombing. One of the more credible speculations is that the US bombing was caused by the wreckage of a stealth fighter jet that was shot down by the Yugoslav air defense force.
This statement is also consistent with the use of special ground-penetrating bombs by the US military. It is said that the remains of the stealth fighter were stored in the basement of the Chinese Embassy at that time. If this is really the case, it will be easier to understand why the Chinese government chose to treat coldly. The three journalists who unfortunately died in the bombing were not sacrificed in vain.
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