China has registered an 8,000-strong standby peacekeeping force at the UN, the Ministry of National Defence (MOD) said on Thursday.
“Completed on Sept. 22, it is in accordance with UN requirements for its new peacekeeping capability readiness system.
“The standby force will play a constructive role in maintaining world peace and regional stability,’’ MOD Spokesperson, Wu Qian, said at a news conference.
According to him, 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.
China, as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, has dispatched most of the 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.
Report says a total of 2,506 UN peacekeepers from China are currently on missions in eight locations.