Ｆｏｒ Ｐｅａｃｅ ａｎｄ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ

Africa， a vast continent， is endowed with rich resources. It has a long history and unique landscape. But constant wars and conflicts have not only deprived millions upon millions of African people of their lives， but also reduced the continent to the poorest and most undeveloped region in the world. The people of Africa suffer greatly from the chaos of wars long for peace. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and an old friend of the African people， China has the responsibility and obligations to make its share of contributions to peace and development in Africa. The active participation in the UN peacekeeping operations in Africa embodies the Chinese people’s pursuit of peace and their valuing of Sino-African friendship.

China sent military personnel to take part in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in September 1991 for the first time. By the end of July 2006， it has successively dispatched 4，331 person times to carry out 10 UN peacekeeping missions in Africa， taking up 77% of the total. Among them three laid down their precious lives for peace in Africa. At the moment， 1，294 Chinese peace keepers are serving with 6 UN missions in Africa， accounting for 87% of the total.

Since China’s participation in the UN peacekeeping operations in Africa， the Chinese servicemen， with impressive team appearance， strict discipline， excellent skills and faith in universal fraternity， have won good opinions and high appraisal of the African countries and people. They have come from China in pursuit of peace and friendship. Every road they paved and every bridge they built bore moving stories; every patient they saved and every batch of humanitarian materials they transported told stories of friendship.

On the muddy and bumpy roads of Liberia one could always see vehicles of the Chinese transport detachment. For the sake of peace， they worked day and night despite wind and rain to fulfill the heavy task of guaranteeing material supply. The way they carried out consecutive operations in despite of hardships and fatigue and their high humanitarian spirit won praise from the mission command and the local people. The president of Liberia specially signed and issued a letter of commendation， which reads， the Chinese transport detachment “is a well-trained， well-disciplined and highly professional force of high combat effectiveness. It has demonstrated the lofty spirit of internationalism and humanitarianism and is envoy of the great Chinese people and the Chinese Army.”

To maintain peace not only means to avoid war， but also to protect the lives and property of the people. One day in June 2004， two chlorine tanks of a water treatment plant in Liberia leaked， causing pollution in a large area which seriously threatened the lives of the local people. “Emergency is the order”. The engineering detachment of the Chinese peacekeeping regiment rushed to the scene. After nearly a whole day’s intense effort， the two leaking tanks were put under control and further pollution prevented. When the detachment completed its emergency rescue work the local people spontaneously lined up the road to see it off， hailing: “Well done， Chinese!”

It is well-known that contagious diseases such as AIDS， malaria and hepatitis have high occurrences in Africa. The medical personnel of the Chinese peacekeeping troops face the highest risk of getting infected for they have the most frequent and closest contact with these patients. However， the Chinese medical workers have never complained nor flinched. They have always treated patients warmly with a highly responsible attitude， showing the fine revolutionary humanitarian spirit. They wrote in their diaries: “Risks are everywhere. AIDS is right before our eyes. It is no longer dull numbers and explanations in the books， but patients with flesh and blood.” “We must treat them like we treat patients suffering from other diseases and do all we can to prolong their lives， improve the quality of their life and relieve them from despair.” The lofty spirit of humanitarianism， love and dedication of the Chinese medical personnel and their excellent medical skills have not only helped the AIDS patients instill confidence in life， but also cured the wounded people in war， such as those hit by a bullet in the leg to stand on his feet again， and those who were attacked by a hippo to recover. Such highest praises as “They are like God”， “with a heart of gold” are often heard from the local people talking about the Chinese medical personnel.

In the UN peacekeeping missions in Africa， wherever the Chinese peacekeepers go they will see barefoot and bareback children running and waving their little hands towards them， calling out: “China， China!” This lovely children’s call comes from the African people’s yearning for peace and out of their love for the Chinese peacekeepers and their feelings of gratitude.

To help these innocent children away from the flames of war so that they can grow up happily under the peaceful sunshine， all the officers and men of China taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions will work harder so as to achieve better results in the performance of their tasks and make greater contributions to peace in the African Continent， to the welfare of the African people and friendship between China and Africa.

The author is deputy director of the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defence.