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China Voice: Attack on peacekeepers won't sway China's commitment to world peace

Xinhua, June 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

China has supported global peacekeeping missions for over a quarter of a century, and will continue to do so in spite of a recent tragic event.

An attack on the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Wednesday morning left a Chinese peacekeeper dead and four others injured.

The attack, which targeted UN peacekeepers, is a terrible, intolerable crime deserving condemnation.

The Chinese government on Thursday said it supports the UN Security Council in reinforcing the peacekeeping mission in Mali.

China is against all forms of terrorism and will continue to firmly support peace and stability across the globe.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is committed to peacekeeping missions.

At present, more than 2,400 Chinese peacekeepers are operating in seven African task areas including Mali, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On the global stage, about 30,000 Chinese soldiers have served in UN peacekeeping missions, ranking the first among all five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Chinese troops have participated in humanitarian relief, engineering support, street patrol and medical aid missions.

They have also built or repaired over 11,000 km of road and more than 300 bridges, and removed 9,400 mines and treated 149,000 patients.

With the dispatch of an infantry battalion to South Sudan in April last year, Chinese peacekeepers' real combative capabilities are being put to the test.

China's share of peacekeeping funds in 2015 ranked the sixth out of all UN member states, the biggest in developing countries. China will increase its share to 10.2 percent in the next three years, making it second only to the United States.

The country has taken part in more than 24 UN peacekeeping missions in the past 26 years. Of the current 16 missions, Chinese peacekeepers are involved in nine.

Though UN peacekeeping missions target no enemies, peacekeepers face great risks, ranging from stray bullets to diseases. A total of 18 Chinese peacekeepers have lost their lives in operations in the past years.

Chinese peacekeepers' sense of responsibility and ability have won them respect and appreciation. In one case, in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015, a soldier from Uruguay wrote on the back of his dog tag, "If I am injured, please send me to a Chinese hospital."

MINUSMA has spoken highly of the role Chinese peacekeepers have played in helping maintain peace and stability in the region, where jihadists stage sporadic attacks on UN personnel.

Koen Davidse, deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general in MINUSMA, said Chinese peacekeepers had done a "perfect job" and built good relations with locals.

As a rising world power, China has interests and responsibilities to help maintain world peace, and is committed to working with other peace-loving countries to make the world a better place. Endi