Serbia shows off new Chinese anti-aircraft missile system

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia on April 20 publicly displayed a just lately delivered Chinese language anti-aircraft missile system, elevating issues within the West and amongst a few of Serbia’s neighbors that an arms buildup within the Balkans may threaten fragile peace within the area.

The subtle HQ-22 surface-to-air system was delivered just lately by a dozen Chinese language Individuals’s Liberation Military Air Power Y-20 transport planes, in what was believed to be the largest-ever airlift supply of Chinese language arms to Europe.

Though Serbia formally seeks membership within the European Union, it has been arming itself largely with Russian and Chinese language weapons, together with T-72 battle tanks, MiG-29 fighter jets, Mi-35 assault helicopters and drones.

Again in 2020, U.S. officers warned Belgrade in opposition to buying HQ-22 missile programs, whose export model is called FK-3. They stated that if Serbia actually needs to affix the EU and different Western alliances, it should align its army tools with Western requirements.

The Chinese language missile system has been extensively in comparison with the American Patriot and the Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile programs, though it has a shorter vary than extra superior S-300s. Serbia is the primary operator of the Chinese language missiles in Europe.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated on the finish of the arms show at a army airport close to Belgrade that the Chinese language missiles, in addition to different just lately delivered army {hardware}, usually are not a menace to anybody and solely signify a “highly effective deterrent” in opposition to potential attackers.

“We are going to now not enable to be a punching bag for anybody,” Vučić stated, apparently referring to NATO’s 78-day bombardment of Serbia for its bloody crackdown in opposition to Kosovo Albanian separatists in 1999.

Serbia, which was at conflict with its neighbors within the Nineties, doesn’t acknowledge Kosovo’s independence declared in 2008. It nonetheless has frosty relations with NATO members Croatia and Montenegro in addition to Bosnia, whose separatist Bosnian Serb chief Milorad Dodik attended the army drill.

Vučić stated Serbia can be negotiating a purchase order of French multipurpose Dassault Rafale jets, in addition to British Eurofighter Storm fighters. He stated that solely “political hurdles” may stop the acquisition of the Western plane.

There are widespread issues that Russia may push its ally Serbia into an armed battle with its neighbors to strive at the least partly to shift public consideration from the conflict in Ukraine.

Though Serbia has voted in favor of U.N. resolutions that condemn the bloody Russian assaults in Ukraine, it has refused to affix worldwide sanctions in opposition to its allies in Moscow or outright criticize the obvious atrocities dedicated by the Russian troops in Ukraine.