Serbia shows off new Chinese missiles in display of military power

Serbian Army soldiers stand near the Chinese medium-range missile system FK-3, the latest weapon received by the Serbian Army, during a demonstration of Serbian Army's air defence capabilities, "Shield 2022", at the military airport "Colonel-pilot Milenko Pavlovic" in Batajnica, near Belgrade, Serbia, April 30, 2022. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic

BATAJNICA, Serbia (Reuters) - Serbia on Saturday showed off its new Chinese-made surface-to-air missiles and other military hardware purchased from both Russia and the West, as the country seeks to perform a delicate balancing act over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Members of the public and the media were invited to the display at the Batajnica military airfield near Belgrade, where Chinese and French missiles were lined up beside Airbus helicopters, Chinese-armed drones and Russian MIG-29 jets. Serbia is striving to balance its partnership with NATO and aspirations to join the European Union with its centuries-old religious, ethnic and political alliance with Russia.