Posted on 02/10/2003 2:15:01 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
The Chinese military announced plans Monday to deploy more than 200 engineers and medics on a U.N. peacekeeping mission to Congo.
"These troops are ready to go," senior Col. Dai Shao'an, deputy director of the Office of Peacekeeping Affairs, said at a news conference at the base of the People's Liberation Army's 41st Brigade.
Among the main missions of the 175 engineers and 43 medics will be operating a hospital, maintaining airports and building roads, barracks and bridges, Dai said. He said they would depart sometime in March.
From the display Monday, it seemed clear that China was taking pains to showcase its desire to play a larger role in peacekeeping: A military band welcomed tour buses loaded with foreign journalists who were brought to the base, about 90 minutes hours north of Beijing.
About 55 vehicles — including trucks and ambulances — were arranged around a square, bearing the initials "U.N." in black. About 100 soldiers ran out from a nearby building, formed a tight block and stood at attention.
"This mission is for the peace of the world and for people who care about peace. It's a great opportunity for China," said Sgt. 2nd Class Li Qiang from Hubei, a northern province. "I'm very honored to be part of this."
Despite its permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, Beijing did not take part in peacekeeping missions until 1989. Its first large-scale contribution was 800 military engineers sent to Cambodia in 1992-94.
It has since sent about 1,400 peacekeepers to operations in Iraq, Kuwait, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dai said.
Altogether, Dai said, more than 600 troops have been trained for peacekeeping, including a 525-member engineering battalion, 35 medical personnel and two transportation companies totaling about 160 troops.
He stressed that China strictly adheres to the principle of noninterference in host countries.
There's a HECK of a lot more going on in the Congo and the surrounding countries than most folks know about.
Considering the fact that the criminal, hegemon Chinese Communists never tire in their designs to take over countries and territories in the Far East...............
There's also a matter of gold, diamond smuggling (Al-Qaeda) and other mineral smuggling going on too. Other countries involved are: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Zimbabwe, China, South Africa and Cuba, not to mention other African countries, but those are proxy states for the previous mentioned countries.
The Congo is rapidly becoming another epicenter in the "War on terror", this time against those who are TRULY sponsoring terrorist organizations.
I had them in Africa in Ethiopia and Algeria ... rendering "humanatarian" aid. When the big balloons hit the fan, they end up helping out their ernstwhile Muslim allies drive up the Nile to assist in the encirclement of Israel.
They've been in Sudan for several years--they have hundreds, if not thousands of troops there protecting their oilfields.
Despite its permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, Beijing did not take part in peacekeeping missions until 1989. Its first large-scale contribution was 800 military engineers sent to Cambodia in 1992-94.The PRC are such philanthropists :)It has since sent about 1,400 peacekeepers to operations in Iraq, Kuwait, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dai said.
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