As UN peacekeeping missions become more important and the focus of greater attention, China, with its rising status, is speeding up efforts in dealing with world affairs. This is especially true in helping restore law and order in regions torn by war and conflict.
Since the year 2000, China began to send peacekeepers to destinations in Asia and Europe. Their professional skills and high sense of humanitarian duty have helped win considerable respect from both the UN and local people. However, on the road to fulfilling their commitment, they are faced many challenges, and more lie ahead.
UN Peacekeeper is a noble title. It signifies duty, sacrifice and humanity. Most of the people serving abroad share the same wish that there will be no war or conflict. Such conditions give rise to endless peacekeeping missions in many places around the world. Nevertheless, all peacekeepers continue to hold the honor of the title, which they earn through their dedicated efforts.
On October 24 of last year, a special team of passengers appeared in the international departure area of Beijing International Airport. Their blue uniforms and non-traveler look drew great attention. People could not help wondering who they were and where they were going?
They were Chinese police men and women assigned to the UN peacekeeping mission in east Timor. A few months before, they were receiving special training in both the shooting as well as a lot of less familiar skills.
Liu Yanfeng, chief of Foreign Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Public Security, said: 〝In January of 2000, we assigned the first group of a peacekeeping team consisting of 15 people to east Timor. Due to the outstanding performance of our team members, the UN hoped that China could also participate in their peacekeeping activities in Europe.〞
For more than half a century since 1948, the UN peacekeeping missions have been a companion of ceaseless wars from Israel in the Middle East to the Congo in Africa and Kosovo in Europe. Their devotion to safety and stability in war-ravaged countries and conflict-hit regions keeps the UN flag flying with full respect in many corners of the globe.
〝The decision to engage in the UN peacekeeping missions is very critical for our country to play an important role in multilateral affairs, especially involving UN participation,〞Liu added.
Peacekeepers can be seen in many places where local safety and order always are badly needed. To function normally and efficiently, they must possess both high skills in handling ordinary and emergency situations as well as a strong sense of duty.
The peacekeeper candidates are taking comprehensive English courses, which are indispensable for them to become accustomed to the environment in their future missions. Even after night falls, their practice still continues to improve as quickly as possible.
〝China is one of the few countries where English is seldom used. So the first barrier that lies ahead is language,〞said Zhao Peijiang, a trainee in Chinese UN Peacekeeping Police Training Center.
Zhang Yujin, another trainee, said: 〝Because we can only use English for living and communicating during our stay in the mission location, daily-use English is the main subject that we always talk about.〞
In addition to language practice, these Chinese policemen and women preparing for their mission as peacekeepers have to become accustomed to relevant rules and principles for working abroad.
Some exercises were carried out in the Chinese UN Peacekeeping Police Training Center in the aim of helping the trainees improve safety awareness and negotiating skills.
〝Carrying weapons on mission in our country, we must try our best to subdue and arrest the wrongdoers. But if we work abroad, there will be another principle of ensuring personal safety, which is given the highest importance as required by the UN. These are totally different,〞Zhang Yujin said.
A trainee named Wang Honghai said: 〝As a policeman who will be assigned abroad as a UN peacekeeper, you should bear in mind that you are required to work under UN rules. According to the handbook concerning UN Peacekeeping police, the most important discipline is to guarantee personal safety. It is a basic principle, under which anything else will be negotiable. You should not resist and make useless sacrifice.〞
Each year, the UN Selection Panel holds one comprehensive test in China to choose qualified Chinese policemen or women as UN peacekeepers.
The qualification tests include, in proper order, English exams including reading, listening, writing and speaking, driving, weapon handling and 5-metre and 7-metre rapid fire. It follows the rule known as 〝coming a cropper〞, which means that a candidate will be eliminated after failing to pass just one of the tests.
A candidate named Yang Jiong said:〝I feel that it′s so cruel.〞
Another one named Fan Chuanxin said:〝As a policeman, I brace for the challenge.〞
Passing the exam is just the first challenge. What lies ahead for the Chinese policemen and women qualified as UN peacekeepers will be more difficult and require much more endurance and devotion.
Xu Zhida is among the first team of Chinese peacekeepers assigned abroad. In January of 2000, he arrived at Dili, the capital of East Timor.
〝We reached East Timor right after the withdrawal of the Indonesian military forces. The militia had burnt it into a wasteland. This was the situation at the time when we arrived,〞Xu said.
The persistently unstable situation in East Timor caused bad shortages of daily necessities. The peacekeepers there couldn’t keep themselves immune from the impact of these conditions.
〝This is our only office. Here is the satellite phone, fax, fixed phone and copycat. This is our dormitory. These are the sleeping bags and camp beds. Our rice, our vegetables, enough to feed us for one whole month, and all the cans. Oh! these are the water rations available for one week. And this is our kitchen,〞Xu showed their living and working situation in East Timor.
〝When it rains, the peacekeepers could do nothing but put basins inside the house to collect the raindrops leaking through the shabby ceiling,〞Xu said.
Apart from the terrible living situation in East Timor, another formidable enemy of the peacekeepers there was disease including diarrhea and dengue fever, among others.
〝Don′t speak too loud or these terrible insects fly into your mouth,〞Xu told the reporter.
The mission did various kinds of work in East Timor including case investigations, patrolling, and traffic directing as well as training of local policemen. For his outstanding performance, Xu Zhida was elected as the bureau chief of a local police station.
The natives had a very good impression on the Chinese peacekeepers who devoted themselves to the local safety and peace.
Tan Jun was a member of China′s first peacekeeping assignment to Europe. In January of 2001, he started his mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
〝Right after I got off the plane, I saw the destroyed buildings, a great number of cemeteries as well as the local people′s disheartened faces,〞Tan said.
Li Hong, former peacekeeper in Bosnia-Herzegovina, said:〝According to incomplete statistics, there are about 4 million landmines inside Bosnia-Herzegovina, or 1.3 per capita. It′s still an incomplete count. According to the UN′s estimates, it will take 30 to 50 years to fully eliminate the landmines. So it′s very, very dangerous.〞
Tan Jun, former peacekeeper in Bosnia-Herzegovina, said〝One superior imparted an important method to us, saying that if you can′t remember anything, just follow the footprints of other people in order to avoid stepping on landmines.〞
The experience in the war-ravaged country and the constant reminder of the helpless people and children leave a deep anti-war sentiment in the hearts of Tan Jun and a lot of other peacekeepers who worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
〝Sometimes I can′t help thinking that, if a foreign visitor, especially a so-called politician plans to travel to this country which has so many beautiful mountains and plains that are so easy to appreciate, I suggest that they visit the mass of graves in Sarajevo and other places where a lot of sobbing elders and helpless children can be seen. He is likely to feel that no war should break out again. So my best wish is, as some people asked me about this when I came back from my peacekeeping mission, that there would be no war in the world. It just burst out of my heart,〞Tan added.
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