Thewesternbalkans
During the regular press conference at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 16, a journalistic question was asked about Kosovo:
“It’s reported the police of the temporary institutions in Pristina forcibly raided and controlled institutions of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo. The Kosovo police arrested four Serbs and confiscated Serbian currency in the National Bank of Serbia located in northern Kosovo. The situation in the Kosovo region again experienced tension. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić made a strong response in a televised address. What’s your comment?“
The response of the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was as follows:
“On the Kosovo issue, China respects Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and believes that the security and lawful rights and interests of ethnic Serbs in the Kosovo region should be upheld. Unilateral moves do not help address the issue and disrupt regional security and stability. Relevant parties need to continue practical and constructive dialogue, and actively look for a lasting solution to the Kosovo issue.“
Comment: The Chinese Foreign Ministry rarely publishes questions and answers from the daily briefings on sensitive topics such as the Kosovo issue. First of all, the designation of Kosovo as a “region” is striking in the Chinese response. Regarding the actions of the police in Northern Kosovo, the position of Chinese diplomacy is entirely on the side of the ethnic Serbs. It emphasizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia – principles that are of fundamental importance to China. The unilateral actions of the Kosovars are criticized and a call is made for “practical and constructive dialogue” – fundamental postulates in the Chinese foreign policy doctrine. Opposing separatism is important to China in terms of its own problems with the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
