UN Peacekeeping: China says it will expand contributions to operations

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02:40

This year is the 70th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping operations. It's also the 28th year of China's participation. Last year the UN secretary-general called for reform of peace operations. China says it backs that proposal and wants to play a bigger role. Zheng Yibing has more.

Endeavor for peace. For nearly three decades, China has been participating in UN peacekeeping operations. Since 1990, more than 38,000 troops and over 2,600 police have been dispatched. And China plans to do more.

WANG YI CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER "China has fully implemented the major measures that president Xi Jinping announced at the UN peacekeeping summit in 2015. The 8,000 strong standby peace-keeping force and permanent squad are ready for operation."

China now contributes 10 percent of UN peacekeeping budget. That's up from about three percent five years ago. 16 of the 24 UN peacekeeping operations that China has taken part in have been in Africa. That makes China one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations on the continent.

XI JINPING CHINESE PRESIDENT "Africa has the biggest peacekeeping needs. In the long run, the international community and the UN should support African countries in increasing their own capacity in keeping peace and stability so that African issues can be addressed in an African way."

There are currently more than 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers involved in UN missions. Over 80 percent of them are in Africa. Their missions range from patrols and security to engineering and medical support. 21 Chinese peacekeepers have laid down their lives, including eight in Africa. Last week 225 Chinese troops were awarded the UN peace medal in Sudan.

CHINESE PEACEKEEPER IN SUDAN "In our future tasks, we will work harder and make collective efforts to accomplish our missions to a high standard."

The efforts are more than that. Over the past three years, China has trained more than 1,400 peacekeepers from dozens of countries. They will go back to their countries with a forged bond to help renew the collective efforts for UN peacekeeping operations in the years to come.

Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing.