A 158-strong engineering company of Chinese peace-keepers and an eight-person medical team departed from Beijing Tuesday night for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

They are the advance party of the 175 troopers and 43 medical staff, including 13 female doctors and nurses, to be sent to the DRC by China.

This is the second time China has sent a detachment of military personnel to join a United Nations-sponsored overseas peace-keeping mission.

Eight hundred Chinese engineering troops participated in the peace-keeping mission in Cambodia in 1992 and 1993, building and rebuilding two airports, and building 36 bridges and 500 km of roads.

China has sent more than 1,450 soldiers and officers to missions in 10 nations and regions since 1990 when it joined the UN's peace-keeping programs.

A Defense Ministry official said the Chinese peace-keepers, selected from the Chinese military and equipped with advanced engineering outfit, are capable of fulfilling the mission of airport rebuilding and the construction of roads, bridges and houses.

The medical team will also serve local civilians, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2003)