Chinese army engineer contingent to be deployed in UN mission in DR of Congo

A contingent of 176 army engineers from China is set to be deployed in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations mission in the country said today.

The engineers - who constitute the largest contribution by Beijing to current UN peacekeeping operations - will be sent to Kindu and Bukavu, according to the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC).

As of last December, China had 123 people serving in seven missions, including 69 civilian police in Timor-Leste, formerly East Timor.