A team of 290 Chinese soldiers left Beijing Friday for an eight-month United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia.

They are the second team of the 17th batch of Chinese peacekeepers sent on tour since 2003, when the country joined the peacekeeping mission in Liberia under the UN Security Council's Resolution 1509. The first batch of 268 Chinese soldiers left for Liberia on Nov. 18.

The 17th batch consists of a 240-member transport battalion, a 275-member engineering battalion and a 43-member medical team. All the soldiers were from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Beijing Military Area Command.

Their mission includes infrastructure work such as road and bridge construction; repairs in residential areas and the country's airports; and the reconditioning of water and power facilities.

The troops are also tasked with transporting personnel and materials, providing medical treatment and contagious and epidemic disease control and prevention.

The first batch of 16th detachment troops returned to China on Nov. 20, the second and last batch will return on Nov. 30. Endi

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