Chinese Peacekeepers
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Chinese peacekeepers continue to work despite Ebola outbreak
Chinese troops on a UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia say they will remain committed in the mission despite the deadly Ebola epidemic sweeping across West Africa. China has three peacekeeping units in Liberia with a total of 558 officers and soldiers and a 140-member riot police squad deployed in the western African nation. Being stationed close to the Ebola epicenters have made the Chinese peacekeepers stay vigilant towards the disease. Du Sheng is a commander of a Chinese military supply and transportation unit, located only 800 meters away from New Kru Town, a western suburb of the Ebola-plagued Monrovia. "The transportation unit is stationed near the capital city of Monrovia, and its frequent operations cover wide surrounding areas. The high risk of being infected with Ebola virus makes control efforts for themselves a tough challenge." The UN Mission in Liberia headquarters has ordered various UN peacekeeping units to restrict or suspend their non-military operations, and urged them to provide the necessary protective equipment to their personnel. However, as the only transportation unit of the UN Mission in Liberia, the Chinese troops have to continue their mission and travel in the affected areas. The Chinese peacekeeping units have equipped their mission personnel with masks and gloves, and ordered daily sterilizations to keep the camp areas hygienic.
UN membership dues reflect China's strength
The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) passed the 2016-2018 apportion of membership dues and peacekeeping budget on Dec 23. Beijing's contributions to membership dues and peacekeeping budget will account for 7.921 percent and 10.2 percent respectively. China's total UN membership dues rank third among 193 member states, following the United States and Japan. Beijing will become the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, only next to the US. This news shocked most Chinese people, who asked: Isn't China a developing country? China still has more than 70 million people struggling with poverty? How come developed countries, such as the US, Japan and European nations, don't contribute more? Why do China's membership dues keep increasing? 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the UN. On Sept 26, President Xi Jinping attended the UN development summit in New York and said each member state should bear common but different responsibilities with the same target. Beijing should assume the common but different responsibilities in paying membership dues and peacekeeping budget. China has emerged as the world's second largest economy with its GDP (gross domestic product) only behind the US, which is a natural outcome of the economic aggregate growth in recent years. China is a responsible country that endorses the UN's ability-to-pay principle and unconditionally handing over the full amount of dues on time to support the UN's roles in international affairs. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Beijing bears special responsibilities in sharing the UN's burden of payments. Increasing membership dues reflect China's rising international influence that enhances its national strength. Chinese proposals on the international stage of the UN have contributed to Chinese wisdom, Chinese responsibilities and Chinese power. Beijing is seeking political solutions on hot-button global issues. As a permanent member of the Security Council with veto powers, Beijing is playing an important role to resolve international and regional issues. Nowadays, the world needs Chinese cooperation, in regards to deal with nuclear disputes over Iran and North Korea, as well as ongoing turmoil in Syria. China is joining more UN peacekeeping operations. Since 1989, China has deployed more than 30,000 troops to join 29 UN peacekeeping operations, with 18 people sacrificing their lives. More than 3,100 Chinese peacekeepers are serving worldwide. Meanwhile, China is promoting international development. Beijing has supplied nearly 400 billion yuan in aid to 166 countries and regions, dispatched more than 600,000 aid workers to support developing countries. Amid the Ebola epidemic in Africa, Beijing had deployed many medical workers in the continent. Beijing is defending international legislation. As a defender of the UN Charter and international laws, China participated in international conventions under the UN framework, joined more than 400 multi-lateral pacts and almost all the inter-governmental organizations. China has pioneered rule-making of the new fields, including outer space and cyber space. Beijing remains a defender and builder of global peace and development as China's state powers and international influence increase over time.
China Refutes US Allegations Its Peacekeepers Abandoned Positions in S Sudan
China dismissed as “malicious speculation” a report by a US-based NGO alleging that during the armed conflict in South Sudan its peacekeepers abandoned their outposts leaving their arms and ammunition behind instead of protecting civilians, the newspaper Hunazhu Ribao reported citing a Defense Ministry official in Beijing. ? AFP 2016/ CHARLES LOMODONG EU Allocates $44Mln to South Sudan Amid Worsening Humanitarian Situation In a report released last week the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), a Washington-based nongovernmental organization, said that Chinese peacekeepers deployed in the North African country as part of a United Nations mission, withdrew from their civilian protection zone in July after coming under attack. Yang Yujun, a spokesman for China's Defense Ministry, criticized the report as “irresponsible” and “harmful” as it was published before the conclusion of an ongoing probe into the July incident in Juba. In an interview with Sputnik, Pavel Kamennov, a military expert at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of the Far East in Moscow, said that CIVIC’s report is part of political technologies which have recently been used by the US. "This is not the first time the Americans have been trying to ‘jump the gun.’ It seems they always know the truth even before the investigation is over, traditional US practice. This is exactly what they did after the downing of the Malaysian airliner in Ukraine. If something really happened and the peacekeepers were involved then it is up to the UN to investigate this whole matter,” Pavel Kamennov said. “There is a global struggle being waged against China, who wants to manage world affairs and would be able to handle this job better than, say, the US. I think this noise about the Chinese peacekeepers in South Sudan is part of the US-Chinese struggle for political clout in the world,” Kamennov noted. The CIVIC report accusing Chinese peacekeepers of unprofessional behavior comes against the backcloth of ongoing consultations about who is going to be put at the head of the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). Earlier this month Foreign Policy quoted unnamed UN officials as saying that China has its sights on the United Nations’ top peacekeeping job, a position that has been held by French representatives for almost two decades now. Putting a Chinese representative at the head of DPKO would effectively “shatter the monopoly that Western powers have held for decades inside the inner sanctum of UN leadership.” ? AFP 2016/ Over 650 Kids Turned Into Child Soldiers in South Sudan in 2016 In an interview with Sputnik, Jiang Mian, a foreign relations expert at Chinese Institute of Communications, said that this recent media attack on Chinese peacekeepers in South Sudan could be an attempt to give Beijing a bad name ahead of the upcoming elections of the DPKO head. “CIVIC is a nongovernmental organization and its links to the White House are not yet clear. It is still clear that they are using this chance to fabricate all kinds of damaging hearsay about China. Our Defense Ministry spokesman responded to this by saying that after the start of the conflict [in South Sudan] the Chinese peacekeepers kept defending their positions and, together with their fellow peacekeepers from other countries, they secured Refugee Camp N1,” he said. He added that many in the US were trying to make unwarranted accusations against China and that the timing of such attacks could mean an attempt to undermine China’s chances of having its man at the head of DPKO. If anyone really fell on his face it was the British, German and Swedish peacekeepers. According to Huanzhu Ribao, citing an internal UN report, after an escalation of the conflict in Juba, 12 peacekeepers from these three countries abandoned their positions and were airlifted back home. Chinese troops are currently stationed in South Sudan as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. The armed conflict in South Sudan erupted in December 2013, a year-and-a-half after the nation gained independence from Sudan, when President Kiir blamed First Vice President Machar of preparing a military coup. The conflict has forced more than a million people to flee their homes. Read more: https://sputniknews.com/asia/201610121046258847-china-peacekeepers-allegations/
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Examples
1 They have also authorized an immediate search for eight Chinese peacekeepers believed to be buried in the rubble.
2 An armed UN Chinese peacekeeper stands guard near a church during a religious celebration of the local residents in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian Capital, June 27, 2006.
3 Currently, there are 125 Chinese peacekeepers in Haiti.