The Embassy of China in Belgrade（ ; ）is the official diplomatic mission of

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to the

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. The embassy was opened in 1955, and the current ambassador is

Ming Li Ming Li is a Canadian computer scientist, known for his contributions to Kolmogorov complexity, bioinformatics, machine learning theory, and analysis of algorithms. Li is currently a university professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Comput ...

History

Establishment of relations

The history of the Chinese embassy in Serbia can be traced back to the establishment of diplomatic relations between

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in 1955, when embassies were established in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

and

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, and both sides exchanged ambassadors. The Chinese side appointed

Wu Xiuquan Wu Xiuquan (; 6 March 1908 – 9 November 1997) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, military officer, and diplomat. He studied in the Soviet Union, enlisted in the Chinese Red Army, and participated in the Long March. After the founding of t ...

, the Deputy Foreign Minister at the time, to be the ambassador to Yugoslavia. On April 13, 1955, Qiuye Zhou, adviser for state affairs at the Embassy, came to Yugoslavia to prepare for the opening of the embassy. Then, on May 24,

arrived in Yugoslavia, and presented to Yugoslav president

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

his

letter of credence A letter of credence (, ) is a formal Diplomatic correspondence, diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to an ...

two days later. At the site of the former embassy, there was originally a three-story residence of a high-ranking Yugoslav official, built in a Western style with three marble columns. The first Yugoslav ambassador to China

Milentije Popović Milentije Popović ( sr-cyrl, Милентије Поповић, ; 1913 – 1971) was a member of Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) since 1939. During World War II he held various Party and administrative positions. After the war, he became the ...

used to reside here.

Bombing

At 11:45 p.m. local time on May 7, 1999 (early dawn on May 8, Beijing time), a

B-2 bomber The Northrop B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American Heavy bomber, heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth aircraft, stealth technology designed to penetrator (aircraft), penetrate dense anti-aircraft war ...

that took off from the United States launched five JDAM bombs that directly hit the Chinese embassy building. Three Chinese journalists, Shao Yunhuan from

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...

, along with Su Singhu and Zhu Yi from

Guangming Daily The ''Guangming Daily'', also known as the ''Enlightenment Daily'', is a national Chinese-language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1949 as the official paper of the China Democratic League. S ...

, were killed on the spot. More than twenty employees were injured, and the embassy building was completely destroyed. After this accident, the Embassy rented premises in several different locations until further notice.

Recent period

In 2004, the Chinese government signed an agreement with the government of

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

on the issue of the embassy premises. The Chinese side agreed to hand over the right of ownership to the site of the old embassy, and in return,

would provide land for the construction of a new building free of charge. On May 7, 2008, the nine-year commemoration of the bombing, the new embassy organized the foundation stone–laying ceremony. On July 15, 2010, the building officially held an opening ceremony.

Wu Bangguo Wu Bangguo (22 July 1941 – 8 October 2024) was a Chinese politician who served as the second-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012, and as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the ...

, then president of the Chinese Standing Committee arrived at Serbia for this occasion, and cut the ribbon at the ceremony. At the end of 2010, Belgrade's city administration demolished the remains of the bombed embassy, and placed a commemorative plaque in that place. In 2017, the construction of the Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade began.

History

Establishment of relations

Bombing

Recent period

List of Ambassadors

See also

References

External links