JABAR EKSPRES – China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) supports Serbia’s efforts to defend and safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We also oppose unilateral actions by the interim body in Pristina, calling on it to carry out its proper duty of building up the city’s predominantly Serbian community,” MFA spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing on Tuesday.

He also urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to respect Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“NATO should also truly contribute to peace in the region,” Mao said.

As Bloomberg reported, violence escalated in northern Kosovo on Monday (29/5) after protesters clashed with police and NATO-led peacekeepers.

The unrest left dozens of people injured.

NATO claimed about 25 of its soldiers were injured, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters in Belgrade that more than 50 of his citizens were injured, including one in critical condition from gunshot wounds.

The Kosovo War was a conflict between ethnic Albanians and the Serbian government in Kosovo that lasted from February 28, 1998 to June 11, 1999.