The Chinese people will never forget NATO's barbaric atrocities of bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999, and will never allow the historical tragedy to be repeated, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday in Beijing.
Lin made the remarks at a daily news briefing when answering a related query.
On May 7, 1999, the U.S.-led NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring more than 20 Chinese diplomats.
"Twenty-five years ago, the U.S.-led NATO forces illegally bombed the sovereign Federal Republic of Yugoslavia without the authorization of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, killing thousands of innocent civilians including three Chinese journalists. The Chinese people will never forget NATO's barbaric atrocities of bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and will never allow the historical tragedy to be repeated. Serbia and the Chinese Embassy in Serbia hold relevant commemorative activities every year," said Lin.
China will never forget NATO's bombing of Chinese embassy: spokesman
This year's first tourist train linking Beijing with Lhasa, the capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, departed from the Beijing West Railway Station on Friday noon, taking more than 450 passengers on a 14-day round trip across the country.
More than 80 percent of the passengers on board Train T175 are senior tourists who have been driving a thriving silver tourism in China in recent years.
A senior woman said she looks forward to visiting the Potala Palace in Lhasa, a UNESCO World Heritage site symbolizing Tibetan Buddhism, which, together with many other popular tourist attractions in Xizang such as Norbulingka, the world's highest, largest, and best-preserved ancient artificial horticultural garden, draws millions of visitors from around the world every year.
"The place I particularly want to see is of course the Potala Palace, because I have longed to visit it since I was a child," she said before boarding the train.
The tourist train, equipped with elderly care devices and carrying a dedicated team of medical professionals, will pass through diverse landscapes on its route.
"Because there are many elderly passengers on board, we have also made full preparations in terms of medical services. The broadcasting cabin is equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and we are traveling with very experienced rescuers from the Red Cross Society of China. This is to ensure that we can deal with any sudden health condition during the journey," said Liu Jie, a train staff member.
Seniors ride 2025's first tourist train from Beijing to Xizang
