President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the former site of China's embassy in Belgrade which was bombed 17 years ago in an air strike by the United States-led NATO.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pay homage to the Chinese martyrs killed in the NATO bombing of the former Chinese embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in May 1999, after arriving in Belgrade for a state visit to Serbia, June 17, 2016. The three martyrs were journalists Shao Yunhuan of Xinhua News Agency, and Xu Xinghu and his wife Zhu Ying, of the Guangming Daily newspaper. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sooner after his arrival in the Serbian capital on Friday afternoon, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, accompanied by the couple of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, attended a memorial ceremony for the three Chinese reporters who were killed in May 7,1999, when satellite-guided bombs from an US Air Force B-2 bomber hit the embassy during the NATO's intervention in Yugoslavia.

Xi is paying a state visit to Serbia from Friday to Sunday. It's the first state visit by Chinese president to Serbia since the country's independence in 2006.

Xi paid a silent tribute to the deceased, without giving any speech. Senior officials from both countries bowed and offered flowers in front of the memorial stone.

After the memorial ceremony, Xi attended a foundation-laying laying ceremony for the Chinese Culture Center in Belgrade.

Witnessed by Xi, Sinisa Mali, mayor of Belgrade, named "Confucius Street" and "Serbia-China Friendship Square" on the former site of the embassy.

During the visit, the two countries will sign a number of cooperative documents covering areas including economic and trade, production capacity and finance.

To show his support toward Chinese investment, Xi will pay a visit to Smederevo steel mill, which was founded in 1913 and acquired in April by Hesteel Group, China's largest iron and steel business group in terms of production capacity, said Liu Haixing, assistant foreign minister.

In 2009, Serbia became the first CEE country to establish a strategic partnership with China. In September last year, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic brought a detachment of soldiers to attend China's landmark parade marking the 70th anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War victory.

To contact the reporter: anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn