The Chinese people will never forget NATO’s barbaric atrocities of bombing the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999, and will never allow the historical tragedy to be repeated, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday.

Zhao made the remarks at a daily news briefing when answering a related query, saying that on May 7, 1999, the U.S.-led NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring more than 20 Chinese diplomats.

“The NATO claims to be a defensive organization, but it in fact has repeatedly violated international law and wantonly waged wars against sovereign countries, undermining world and regional peace and killing and displacing a large number of innocent civilians,” said the spokesperson.

NATO pursues “absolute security” and has engaged in five consecutive waves of eastward expansion after the Cold War, which did not make Europe safer, but rather sowed the seed of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, reigniting war on the European continent, he said.

The Cold War is long over, and the common aspiration of the people from the world over is promoting peace, cooperation and development, Zhao said.

The U.S.-led NATO should make necessary adjustments, abandon the Cold War mentality, and stop provoking bloc confrontation and creating tensions in Europe, the Asia Pacific and the world.

The United States and NATO should take concrete steps to make solid contributions to world peace, stability and development, Zhao added.