200 officers and soldiers arrive at Kunming Changshui Airport on May 18, 2017, preparing to set off for a one-year peacekeeping mission to Lebanon. (Photo: China News Service/ Ye Yangping)
China has registered an 8,000-strong standby peacekeeping force at the UN, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MOD) on Thursday.
Completed Sept. 22, it is in accordance with UN requirements for its new peacekeeping capability readiness system, said MOD spokesperson Wu Qian at a press conference.
The standby force will play a constructive role in maintaining world peace and regional stability, said Wu.
Troops from China's ground force, navy, air force and logistics force will undertake tasks such as combat readiness training and disaster relief in China before any missions overseas.
As one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China has dispatched the most troops on UN peacekeeping missions, and provided major funding for operations.
Since joining UN peacekeeping operations in 1990, Chinese troops have been deployed 24 times, with over 36,000 personnel dispatched. A total of 2,506 UN peacekeepers from China are currently on missions in eight locations.
