Cleaning up, selecting vegetables for dinner, publishing festival blackboard bulletin and holding karaoke contests is the way for China's peace-keeping forces in Liberia to celebrate the 84th Army Day on August 1, the same day they started their peacekeeping missions, as the 12th Peacekeeking Force dispatched by China to the country.

Requested to by various UN secretary-generals since the 1990s, China has taken part in more than 20 peacekeeping actions, dispatching more than 18,000 peacekeeping officers and soldiers overseas, and becoming the largest contributor of peacekeeping forces of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council. This is a special Chinese army, which wears blue helmets, camouflage uniforms, and national flag arm badges, showing China's image. They have won respect for China from the rest of the world. Their shining red arm badges are their symbols, representing their absolute loyalty and integrity. This is a unique Chinese red on the blue international peacekeeping stage.

China image: Building instead of fighting

In 1988, China joined the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, marking the start of China's participation in UN peacekeeping actions. In 1990, for the first time, China dispatched military observers to the Middle East. In 1992, China officially sent the first peacekeeping force to Cambodia for missions. Nowadays, Chinese peace-keeping forces are widely seen in areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Lebanon, Sudan and Haiti.

The Chinese peacekeeping forces' major task is not to fight, but to build and maintain roads, bridges, construction facilities and airports. They are also responsible for landmine removal, goods transportation, medical care and humanitarian assistance.

During an interview with Lebanon Pictorial, Wu Zexian, the Chinese ambassador to Lebanon, said that during the past five years, Chinese peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, regardless of risk to their lives, had scoured1.789 million square meters of suspected minefields and areas scattered with bomb wreckage. They found and removed 8,926 unexploded bombs and more than 1,100 landmines, as well as more than 500,000 other metal objects. Apart from various tasks and missions within the UN peacekeeping framework, the engineer's battalion has also worked hard for the Lebanese people. A first-class hospital of the battalion has treated more than 10,000 patients free of charge.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Chinese peacekeeping forces were excellent and China was one of the UN's most important members. China's contribution of finance and peacekeeping personnel also ranked among the top levels.

China speed: Quickness of action

In international peacekeeping forces, Chinese officers and soldiers are always among the first to stand up against danger and difficulty. Their actions testify to quickness of action and have won worldwide praise.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 11th Chinese peacekeeping force took only 20 days to complete the primary construction of government battalion bases. Chinese soldiers overcame various problems such as the hot climate, heavy dust and the unstable political environment to finish the first and second sections of the project 16 days ahead of schedule.

Inspecting this project, brigadier of the South Kivu Brigade said, "The Chinese peacekeeping force is amazing. Their speed is far beyond my imagination."

During April and December, Jiang Hangang, honored as a "blue helmet iron man," the team leader of the 7th peacekeeping force to Liberia, led 274 engineers into the mission area. Although suffering from cancer, he persisted in working with the force to complete the building of 448 km of roads and five bridges, every project of the first-class quality. The United Nations awarded them the first-class peace medal.

Engineers from the UN mission in Liberia said while inspecting the construction site, "Your standard is first-class and you have a high sense of responsibility for the work." They described the rapidity with which the work was completed as amazing.

China spirit: Friendship and Civilization

In every UN peacekeeping mission area, the Chinese peacekeeping forces are not only enacting their primary roles, but also sowing friendship and civilization. They embody a "peace-loving and responsible" China in action, presenting to the world a good image of the Chinese army as a "formidable, civilized and peace-loving" force."

While working on projects, the 12th Peacekeeping Force to the Democratic Republic of Congo also tried their best to help local people. In March, five doctors from the peacekeeping engineers unit visited a village, offering free medical treatment, focusing on the treatment of malaria, influenza and rheumatism, and informed the locals about how to prevent common diseases.

The only doctor in the village was deeply moved and said, "The medical conditions here are very poor and we are short of a lot of medicine. Chinese doctors take the trouble to offer medical services and help to rid our people of diseases, for which we thank you."

On peacekeeping battlefields, Chinese peacekeeping forces also act as cultural envoys. In Sudan, the peacekeeping force constructed a long-term display of red lanterns and Chinese knots in their camp. As well, they also made use of opportunities such as traditional Chinese festivals and medal-awards ceremonies to broadcast documentaries on Chinese culture and customs, creating an intense Chinese cultural atmosphere. In Liberia, the Chinese peacekeeping force tries to showcase the Chinese army's good image and promote friendship by offering souvenirs, and organizing parties and sports competitions.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the forces also provided activities such as Chinese language training classes and "The Night of China" to spread their culture and promote the African people's understanding of China.