The US deliberately bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999
| The US deliberately bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 | |
|---|---|
| DISPUTED | |
| "NATO's May 1999 bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was deliberate, not a mistake." | |
| Domain | War, Conflict & Geopolitics |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1999 |
| Origin | Chinese government statements and a 1999 report by The Observer and Politiken |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on War, Conflict & Geopolitics | |
On May 7, 1999, during NATO's air war against Yugoslavia under President Bill Clinton, a US B-2 bomber struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade with guided bombs. Three Chinese journalists were killed. The United States said the CIA had given the target the wrong address, mistaking the embassy for a Yugoslav arms agency. China rejected the explanation, and mass protests followed.
What the evidence shows
- Official explanation. The CIA said its analysts had located the intended target using a flawed map-based method and that several databases failed to flag the embassy. The CIA later dismissed one officer and disciplined six others.
- Press reports. In October 1999, The Observer and the Danish newspaper Politiken reported, citing NATO sources, that the embassy had been targeted because it was relaying Yugoslav military communications. US officials denied it.
- Settlement. The United States paid China $28 million for embassy damage, and China paid $2.87 million for damage to US diplomatic property during the protests. No public evidence has settled the question.
Why it matters
The official account and the deliberate-targeting account both have sources behind them, and neither has been proven publicly. The case remains a lasting grievance in China's view of the United States.
Sources
- George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence, statement to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, July 22, 1999.
- The Observer, "NATO bombed Chinese deliberately," October 17, 1999.
- Congressional Research Service, "Chinese Embassy Bombing in Belgrade: Compensation Issues," 2000.