China demands new embassy inquiry

The bombing sparked protests in China

China has marked the first anniversary of Nato's bombing of its embassy in Belgrade by demanding that the United States reopen its investigation into the incident.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sun Yuxi, said the government and people of China still wanted a satisfactory explanation for the bombing, in which three Chinese nationals were killed.

In an official commentary, the People's Daily newspaper repeated recent warnings that foreign forces were trying to "westernise" and "split" China.

It said the bombing was a reminder that China must resist "hegemonism" - an expression used to mean US global power.

Trade

But the atmosphere in the streets was in marked contrast to the angry anti-US protests which erupted immediately after bombing.

Three people died and at least 20 were injured

A handful of extra police were posted outside the US embassy in Beijing, which last year was pelted with stones and petrol bombs.

But there were no demonstrations on Monday and the only crowds were those queuing for US visas.

Slogans denouncing Nato, which had been painted on nearby lamp posts, have been erased in recent weeks.

Analysts said the government appeared to be resisting calls for a nationalistic campaign in the run-up to a critical vote in the US Congress on China's trading status.

'Faulty maps'

The Chinese embassy in Belgrade was hit five times on the night of 7 May, reportedly by the most sophisticated American aircraft, the B2 bomber.

The US said the strike was a mistake caused by the use of faulty maps - an explanation the Chinese continue to reject.

Angry Chinese took to the streets to protest

Last month, the American CIA sacked an agent it blamed for the attack. A Yugoslav arms agency was the intended target, it said.

Officials said several steps had been taken to address "organisational problems that contributed to the accidental bombing," but declined to discuss them.

China suspended military ties with Washington after the attack, but US-China relations were gradually put back on track in the following months.

Last year Washington agreed to pay China $28m compensation and a further $4.5m to the victims' relatives.

British newspaper reports have suggested the embassy was deliberately targeted, because it was allegedly helping Yugoslav commanders transmit signals to their forces in the field.

More than 200 Chinese media officials mourned the three journalists killed in the attack at the national cemetery in Beijing on Monday.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Belgrade embassy ruins on Sunday.