"Chinese Miracle"

Peacekeeping operations are often conducted in conflict zones with dire living conditions and inadequate infrastructure.

"I undertook my first peacekeeping mission in January 2015 when the main task was to build a new camp. In that wasteland, we used our hands to loosen the soil and move stones," Mi recalled.

"To finish constructing the new camp before the rainy season, everyone worked round the clock. In about a month, 666 prefabricated houses were successfully built. Local UN officials praised the work as the ‘Chinese Miracle'", he said.

A contributor to world peace and development

Talking about the changes of the area where they stationed during the peacekeeping mission, Mi Xiugang recalled: "Due to the precarious security situation, the villagers living near our camp would choose to go out to steal, rather than plant crops and raise livestock themselves because these were being stolen from them."

"After we Chinese peacekeeping forces provided a 24-hour guard, and conducted regular patrols, the security environment improved and the villagers have gradually begun to grow crops. Local villagers said that the Chinese troop made them feel safe and secure and they no longer feared any robberies."

Lu Jianxin, professor at College of International Studies of National University of Defense Technology, said that, in the past 30 years, apart from completing their peacekeeping missions, the Chinese peacekeeping troops have also played an active role in post-conflict reconstruction, including helping local people build roads, airports, and bridges.

China has scaled up support for and involvement in the UNPKOs. It has become the second largest contributor of funding for peacekeeping missions and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, said Major General Luo Wei with the Ministry of National Defense.

"China has actively participated in the UNPKOs, meeting the responsibilities of a major country firmly committed to the path of peaceful development," said Senior Colonel Cai Hui, an associate professor with the School of International Relations of the National University of Defense Technology and a senior instructor with the Center for Peacekeeping Affairs under the Ministry of National Defense.

"China's rise will not pose threats to any country. Its rising military might means a strengthened force in maintaining the world's peace," Cai added.

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