China sends weapons to Serbia; Beijing spoke up

China sends weapons to Serbia; Beijing spoke up

Zhao Lijian pointed out that this delivery is not aimed at any third party and that "it has nothing to do with the current situation", without giving more details, reports the Associated Press.

The U.S. agency reported yesterday that Serbia received a sophisticated Chinese anti-aircraft missile system in, as it states, a secret operation that took place over the weekend.

Citing the media and military experts, the AP states that six Chinese military transport planes Y-20 landed in Belgrade on Saturday, carrying the HQ-22 surface-to-air missile system for the Serbian army.

The American agency added that experts see the delivery of weapons through at least two NATO members, Turkey and Bulgaria, as a demonstration of the growing Chinese power in the world.

The Chinese missile system is mostly compared to the American Patriot or the Russian S-300 systems, although it has a shorter range than the S-300.

Serbia will be the first country in Europe to possess Chinese missiles, the AP text adds.