Die Bombardierung der chinesischen Botschaft in Belgrad

Ursachen, Reaktionen und Konsequenzen

Abstract

The bombardment of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the war over Kosovo has demonstrated how fragile the Sino-American relationship is. The consequences of this incident which could aptly be named the "Tiananmen of the USA will be perceived for long time. On the one hand, Beijing has now bigger mistrust of Washington. On the other hand, the Chinese leadership considers the destruction of its diplomatic mission as window of opportunity which can be used as political instrument. In the light of these events, cooperation between the two antagonists of the Asia-Pacific region will not become easier. Until today, strategists of the Middle Kingdom cannot believe that the raid of an Ameri can B-2 bomber was really tragic mistake. One reason for this is the inability of the Clinton administration to eliminate speculations about an intended attack. Indeed, many questions  remain without satisfying answer: How was it possible, for example, that the CIA had only chosen one target during the whole NATO intervention, and that was just the Chinese embassy?