Source: People's Liberation Army Daily Client Author: Wang Shan
Editor's note: "You are disciplined, take on heavy responsibilities, are the elite of the elite, and it is our pride to have you!" "This is the heartfelt praise of UN officials at the ceremony to award me the Medal of Honor for Peacekeepers. Over the past 27 years, China's peacekeeping forces have been unafraid of sacrifice, lighting the torch of peace in the chaos of war, raising the sails of moving forward in the wind and waves, sowing beautiful hope in poverty, and with the spirit of being able to bear hardships, dare to fight, be fearless, and declare to the world the strength and determination of China to maintain peace. Today is the 15th International Peacekeepers Day, and let's pay tribute to the Blue Helmets!
Zheng Zheng vowed to express his firm determination to faithfully fulfill his mission and safeguard world peace. (Photo by Peng Xi)
There is a blue sky blue, which uses the lofty distance to tell the sky and let the birds fly; there is a blue is the sea blue, which tells the story of the sea energy with a vast expanse; and there is a blue helmet blue, which always appears in the most turbulent places in the world, but only with this blue can convey a hint of calm to people, convey the meaning of safety and peace.
The Blue Helmets represent the United Nations peacekeeping force, and the Chinese peacekeeping force is an important force in this force. Today, we may be accustomed to hearing where the Chinese peacekeeping forces have made outstanding achievements, where they have been praised, and where they have been awarded the Peace Medal... However, we may not know how the Chinese peacekeeping force has achieved today's impressive results step by step.
Decades ago, China did not participate in UN-led peacekeeping operations for a variety of reasons. It was not until 1988, when China had a certain degree of comprehensive strength, that it formally applied to join the Special Committee on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. At that time, Chinese soldiers had never participated in such operations, so they only sent a few military observers, because it was simpler, safer, and more institutionalized in the mission area. In the absence of experience, the military observers to be dispatched had no idea what they were going to do when they went to the mission area; in terms of hardware, even the equipment required by the United Nations was not matched — a pair of combat boots, a body armor, and for a while it was difficult for the troops.
Liu Mingfang: Military observer in Cambodia, when he was on a mission in Cambodia in May 1992, he contracted cerebral malaria and died of ineffective medical treatment.
It is such a force, but today, more than twenty years later, it has become an important force in the United Nations peacekeeping force! This is not a casual statement, but a practical work. Ma Jidong, the leader of China's first blue helmet force in the 1990s, a military engineering brigade that went to Cambodia on a mission, recalled that Cambodia at that time had a "hard bone" to repair The Shangding airport and ensure the last line of defense for the safe withdrawal of peacekeepers. Due to the hourly wages adopted by the Road and Bridge Department in Shangding Province, Cambodia, migrant workers deliberately slowed down the progress of the project in order to get more wages, which ran counter to the strategic deployment of the local command. At this moment, Ma Jidong promptly expressed with the superior person in charge, Colonel Bedley, the willingness of the Chinese engineering brigade to take over the repair of the airport for the migrant workers, and promised to complete the repair work within 60 days. This is an impossible task in the eyes of others. After the engineering brigade took over the work, the soldiers began to boil asphalt every morning at four or five o'clock, braving the high temperature and risking being attacked by the armed forces, even when night fell. Looking at such desperate Chinese troops, the friendly troops were moved, and in the case of poor lighting conditions, they drove their own transport vehicles to illuminate the Chinese engineering team. In this way, working day and night, the Chinese military engineering brigade completed the repair of Shangding Airport in only forty days. Colonel Bedley came to inspect, was particularly surprised by the results in front of him, and expressed his recognition of the Chinese engineering brigade with the words "qualified, all qualified". As a result, Chinese soldiers were crowned with the honor of "special ability to fight".
It is with such a spirit of hardship and risk-taking that The Chinese peacekeepers continue to refresh their records on the timeline:
Schematic map of Chinese troops participating in UN peacekeeping operations (statistics as of May 2017, source: Office of Peacekeeping Affairs of the Ministry of National Defense)
In April 2003, Chinese peacekeepers went to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to carry out peacekeeping, including engineering companies and medical teams;
In November 2003, the Chinese peacekeepers went to Liberia to maintain peace, and the troops were composed of a transport detachment, a medical detachment, and an engineer brigade.
In October 2004, members of the Chinese peacekeeping police riot team went to Haiti to conduct a peacekeeping operation, which was the first time that China sent an established riot police to carry out a United Nations peacekeeping operation;
In October 2005, the Chinese peacekeepers went to Sudan to carry out peacekeeping, including an engineering detachment, a transport detachment and a medical detachment.
In March 2006, the Chinese peacekeeping engineer battalion went to Lebanon, which was the first time that China sent peacekeeping troops to the Middle East.
……
China's first peacekeeping helicopter detachment held an oath-taking meeting
Over the past two decades, the Chinese military has achieved a historic leap from scratch in dispatching peacekeepers, from small to large in size, and in terms of unit types from single to diverse.
In terms of troop dispatch area, it has expanded from the initial 1 mission area in the Middle East to multiple mission areas at the same time;
In terms of the type of troop dispatch, it was expanded from a single engineering detachment to a variety of types of detachments such as sappers, transportation, medical care, guards, and infantry;
In terms of the scale of military dispatch, from the initial 5 military observers to the current number of thousands of military peacekeepers, China has become the country with the largest number of troops among the permanent members of the UN Security Council today;
In terms of the proportion of peacekeeping assessments, China has borne more than 10% of peacekeeping assessments, making it the second largest after the United States.
All this shows that China's peacekeeping forces occupy an increasingly important position in the field of international peacekeeping.
Chinese peacekeepers install "blue barrels" at a stake near the Blue Line, a temporary border line between Lebanon and Israel, on March 28. Photo by Hua Xun
Wherever there is danger and turmoil, there will always be a Chinese Blue Helmet. South Sudan is at risk of a full-blown civil war, the security situation is not optimistic, and Chinese peacekeepers are there. There may be ongoing unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Chinese peacekeepers remain there to attract international attention or to attack peacekeepers. As a strategic town, bombings and attacks are still the norm, and this is perhaps the most dangerous place in the UN peacekeeping mission area, and the Chinese peacekeepers are still here... No matter how turbulent the region is and no matter how dangerous the situation, the Chinese peacekeeping force has never retreated and has always stayed in the mission area. Even if some comrades-in-arms unfortunately died, Chinese peacekeepers wiped away their tears and still bravely moved forward, just to do their part to stop the conflict and restore peace. This is the mission of the Chinese military, and it is also a solemn commitment made by China to the world!
We will not forget the sacrifices and contributions made by Shen Liangliang to peacekeeping, and we will not forget the martyrs like him, Liu Mingfang, Chen Zhiguo, Yu Shili, Lei Runmin, Yu Jianxing, Fu Qingli... These names are forever engraved in the history of China's peacekeeping forces, witnessing how China's peacekeeping forces have gradually become increasingly important in the field of international peacekeeping by relying on real and hard work.
The sixth rotation and handover ceremony of the Chinese peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan
This status and influence has also been accentuated by China's growing voice in UN peacekeeping operations. Before the 1990s, China was in a position of cautious voice or even zero voice in UN peacekeeping operations. With the continuous enhancement of China's own strength, coupled with the efforts and dedication of all Chinese peacekeepers, after the end of the 20th century, China's voice in UN peacekeeping operations has continued to increase. In particular, in 2008, at the invitation of the UN Security Council and then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, China decided to further participate in the UN-AU "hybrid operation" in Sudan's Darfur region. The change in China's attitude on the Darfur issue can be said to be a change in China's posture towards UN peacekeeping operations, on the one hand, it reflects China's determination to "be a responsible major country" to safeguard world peace, and further helps China to strengthen its voice in peacekeeping operations - this is not only manifested in the fact that China can express its views on peacekeeping operations at the venue of the United Nations, but also in the fact that Chinese peacekeepers and officers and soldiers gradually have a certain leadership and command power and position in peacekeeping forces.
Pang Yandong, one of the first five military observers to be sent abroad, recalled that Chinese soldiers were particularly popular in the mission area because foreign comrades in arms especially liked to collect armbands from various countries, and Chinese peacekeepers could collect Chinese armbands when they came. After more than two decades, China's peacekeepers are still popular, but no longer just because of the armband. With the experience of international peacekeeping accumulated over the years, with more and more high-end equipment, and relying on their own spirit and deeds of being able to endure hardships, dare to fight, and be fearless, China's peacekeeping forces are moving to every corner that needs them at a faster pace and on a larger scale, giving people in turmoil a glimmer of hope for peace, and declaring to the world China's determination and strength to maintain peace.
Chinese Blue Helmets, such a big stride!
On January 19, 2017, the air transport team went to Gao Airport to transfer the victims of the terrorist attack. Zhao Ziquan