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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Truth about "mistake" bombing of Chinese embassy |
| 2011-02-13 |
| The former Chinese president Jiang Zemin has admitted in an unpublished memoir that Serbian military intelligence units were hiding inside the Chinese embassy in Belgrade when Nato bombed it in 1999. The memoir is reported to say that Jiang acceded to a personal plea from Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian leader, to shelter key military intelligence personnel, and that 14 Serbs and three Chinese citizens died there when US bombers struck. Although the United States apologized for the raid - which led to anti-western demonstrations in China - blaming faulty target mapping by the CIA, the Chinese government never accepted this explanation. Now a Chinese-language magazine in Hong Kong has published an account of the bombing from a series of essays written in retirement by Jiang, 85, who stepped down from his last post in 2004. It said Jiang regretted allowing the Serbs sanctuary inside China's diplomatic mission and believed it was a serious political mistake. The memoir is said to tell how a furious Chinese government was forced to mute its protests after the Americans privately presented evidence of Serbian electronic communications from within the embassy. The diplomatic bargain appeared to be that the Americans saved China's face by apologising for a "mistake" and the Chinese allowed the street rage to cool off without serious violence. Jiang believes the Belgrade bombing destroyed his relationship with Bill Clinton, then the US president, according to the magazine Qiansao (Outpost), which quoted Jiang's aides and family members. He appears to have gambled and lost because he saw a chance to outflank Russia, which had refused to help Milosevic protect his intelligence assets. The magazine claimed the Chinese were already sending secret supplies of surface-to-air missiles to the former Yugoslavia through Libya. "When the air campaign began, Yugoslavia's defence ministry, information department and police headquarters were all destroyed by NATO bombs," it said, quoting the memoir. "Slobodan Milosevic once again asked Jiang to allow core departments of military intelligence to take refuge in the Chinese embassy basement so as to keep operating." The Chinese leader agreed. As the NATO bombing intensified, the Chinese foreign ministry asked Jiang if it could withdraw its staff from Belgrade, but he ordered them to stay put as a sign of solidarity with Milosevic, the memoir admits. NATO was bombing Serbia to force it to withdraw from Kosovo, a province seeking independence. To China, fighting its own separatists in Tibet and Xinjiang, it was a matter of principle to support the government in Belgrade. Although the memoir seems not to say so, there was another reason for Chinese involvement on Serbia's side. The magazine says Milosevic's agents handed over to China some navigation gear, thermal insulation and part of a jet exhaust from an American F-117 Stealth fighter shot down over the Balkans. China surprised the Americans by unveiling its own stealth fighter in a test flight last month. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 All of this makes sense, particularly the stealth tech transfer, but this part is especially chilling: As the NATO bombing intensified, the Chinese foreign ministry asked Jiang if it could withdraw its staff from Belgrade, but he ordered them to stay put as a sign of solidarity with Milosevic, the memoir admits. Guess the foreign ministry learned they are part of the PLA after all. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2011-02-13 19:55 |
| #5 Yup! Pretty much. The explanation made sense. NATO had knocked out all the big transmitters in Belgrade, separating the command from the troops in the field. The Chinese helpfully stepped up and said, "use ours!" Whenever I brought this up with liberals, it was the typical denial response. "It wasn't published in the New York Times so it isn't true" |
| Posted by: gromky 2011-02-13 18:27 |
| #4 Well, my calling NIMA (now NGA) "Not Inclined to Map Anymore" was a slander. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2011-02-13 18:02 |
| #3 I think we made a VAST mistake in NATO supporting Serbias enemies. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-02-13 17:13 |
| #2 heh - I never bought the "we had outdated AAA maps and 1970's Fodors travel books" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-02-13 17:01 |
| #1 The former Chinese president Jiang Zemin has admitted in an unpublished memoir that Serbian military intelligence units were hiding inside the There, all fixed. /sarc off |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2011-02-13 16:37 |