China has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers for UN operations: Mao Ning

Beijing: Over the past three decades, China has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to participate in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs) in more than 20 countries and regions, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

She made the remarks at the regular press conference when she was asked about China’s participation in the UN peacekeeping missions, as May 29, 2023 marked the 21st International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

The UN had conducted over 70 missions over the past seven decades or so, making outstanding contributions to safeguarding regional peace and assisting in the resolution of regional conflicts, Mao said, adding the Blue Helmets had become a symbol of peace and hope.

She noted that China sent military observers to the UN in 1990, which marked the beginning of its participation in UNPKOs, and in 1992, it dispatched its first formed military unit of Blue Helmets to participate in UNPKOs.

China was the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments and the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the Security Council, she said.

At present more than 2,200 Chinese officers were working in eight peacekeeping mission areas and Chinese Blue Helmets had become a key force in the UN’s peacekeeping efforts, she added.

The spokesperson said the Chinese peacekeepers adhered to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, acted in strict accordance with their mandate, and faithfully fulfilled peacekeeping missions, making important contributions to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

Noting the current international security situation is complicated and grave, she stressed that the role and significance of UNPKOs had become more prominent. And “China will continue to work in close cooperation with the international community to increase the efficacy and efficiency of UNPKOs so that they can play a bigger role in safeguarding international peace and security,” Mao said.