Chapter 68: A local advantage
In the early hours of May 8, the entire country lay in sleeping silence. The telephone in the home of the Xinhua News Agency's editor-in-chief rang incessantly. Still somewhat groggy, he was a little surprised to see that the call was from Little Lü, a reporter. But as soon as he answered, his expression turned grave. After hanging up, he immediately called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Eurasia Department, whose director then contacted the ministry's senior leadership.
A senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official called a Central Television reporter's mobile phone. The voice that answered was agitated and anxious. "This is Lin Guozhou. The embassy has been bombed. Most of our comrades have been rescued, and we're carrying out the evacuation!"
"Guozhou, your state of mind matters. You and Ambassador Pan must stay steady. Our comrades are all looking to you! You must immediately organize everyone to leave the embassy to avoid a second attack." On May 8, Central Television issued an emergency news bulletin.
Latest report from Xinhua News Agency: in the early hours of May 8, Beijing time, at midnight on May 7 local time, the Chinese embassy in the Southern Alliance was struck by at least three missiles fired by US-led NATO forces. The embassy buildings sustained severe damage, and the main building collapsed. As of this report, one person had been confirmed injured, with no deaths reported.
The incident immediately caused an uproar. Hong Kong, United Nations member states, Yeltsin, the Russian Foreign Minister, and countries including South Africa, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Greece publicly condemned NATO. The nation was shaken, and intense protest marches erupted in major cities.
Even those who had remained calm were stunned and incredulous. Surely the report was wrong? How could missiles that the US military claimed