A senior Chinese official on Friday visited the former location of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, paying tribute to victims of a deadly 1999 bombing by the U.S. military as tensions continue to rise between China and Western countries.

The Chinese people would never forget this part of history and its military would never allow history to repeat itself, said Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe. “We absolutely have the capability and determination to defend the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” he said.

China’s state media gave prominent coverage to the visit, with military commentator Wong Dong speculating that the intention was to incite nationalism and anti-American sentiment at a time of tense relations between the two countries.

Wong said the message being conveyed was that the gap between China and the United States was bigger 22 years ago, but now China has more dominance, stamina and confidence, with the ability to challenge the U.S. if the need arises.

NATO would be holding large-scale drills in the South China Sea this year, according to Wong, and he believed that China would counter this by holding even larger exercises of its own.

In May 1999, three Chinese journalists died and 27 other people were injured when the U.S. military bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. The U.S. government claimed that the embassy had been struck accidentally, with then President Bill Clinton apologizing.

China considered the bombing a deliberate act and large protests were staged by Chinese citizens outside U.S. diplomatic missions in China and also the embassies of other NATO countries.

Relations between China and the United States eventually eased when a compensation settlement was reached. The bombing coincided with the start of a period of increased defense spending by China.

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