UN peacekeeping chief praises Chinese personnel

Herve Ladsous (R), UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, visits the Chinese People's Armed Police Force Academy in Langfang city, Hebei province, where the peacekeepers are trained, Oct 17, 2013. [Photo by Jiang Dong/Asianewsphoto]

The United Nations under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations hopes China will contribute more personnel to peacekeeping forces after viewing a drill by China's first group of riot police assigned to Liberia on Thursday.

The drill was held in the Chinese People's Armed Police Force Academy in Langfang city, Hebei province, where the peacekeepers are trained.

After the drill, including martial arts demonstration and unarmed defense and control, Herve Ladsous, the under-secretary-general, said the drill was a "testimony to the professionalism" of Chinese peacekeepers, who are "committed" and "very disciplined".

He also said those peacekeepers would be "crucial" in consolidating the recovery of Liberia from a two-decade "absence of law and order" and "absence of development".

In view of the high quality of the Chinese peacekeepers, "the more we (China and the UN) cooperate together in peacekeeping operations, the better", the under-secretary-general said.

An advance team of 15 Chinese peacekeepers has arrived in the Republic of Liberia for preparations, and another 125 police officers will leave on Oct 21. The mission will last eight months.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, about 1,800 Chinese peacekeeping police officers have been dispatched to eight task areas since 2000.