Contributing to UN peacekeeping efforts has been a “positive thing” for military and police officers from China, according to a senior official with the country’s army.

Major General Yang Chaoying is the Acting Force Commander at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) where more than 1,000 Chinese blue helmets are serving.

China has been a part of UN peacekeeping since 1990, and Major General Yang said the experience has benefited both Chinese uniformed personnel and the post-conflict countries where they have been deployed.

Ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed on 29 May, the Major General told Maoqi Li why peacekeeping matters to his country.

He began by outlining some of the tasks performed by Chinese peacekeepers in South Sudan.

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