A delivery of Chinese anti-aircraft weapons to Serbia provokes many negative reactions from Europe and the United States. The armaments were delivered over the weekend by Chinese military aircraft.
With our correspondent in Belgrade, Laurent Rouy
This weekend, a Chinese military jumbo jet landed at Belgrade airport, in Serbia, and caused discord because it was a delivery of arms to the country from China. The plane probably contained FK3 surface-to-air missiles, the purchase of which would have been negotiated in 2019.
The reaction of the US State Department almost sound like a threat. “ Serbia is sovereign, but it must be aware of the consequences and risks in the short and long term Washington said on Tuesday.
Contradiction with EU defense policy
Serbia, a candidate for entry into the European Union, is the first country on the continent to call on China to equip itself with these advanced systems and the contradiction has also been noted by Germany. Berlin says it expects the candidates to align their defense policy with that of the EU.
For several years, Serbia has displayed its ties with Russia and China. Belgrade is already under pressure due to its ambiguous stance on sanctions against Russia. Serbia is therefore asked not to display its ties with Beijing too much, while relations between China and the West could be strained in the context of the war in Ukraine.
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