The years of living dangerously

It's 15 years since China first participated in UN peacekeeping missions, but despite the late start, the country is now a leading light, as Peng Yining reports.

During his deployment as a member of the UN peacekeeping force in East Timor in 2002, Su Dongxu had to overcome fierce competition to be appointed to the post of district commander.

Having achieved his initial objective, though, Su quickly realized that his struggle was just beginning. At a meeting of UN commanders of the 13 district and regional headquarters in the country, Su, who had been a senior police officer in North China's Tianjin, realized that he and an officer from Thailand were the only Asians present.

Meanwhile, an officer from the New York Police Department, one of 200 peacekeepers under Su's command, regularly questioned his chief's ability. "I could sense his doubts and mistrust during our conversations, and from the expression on his face. I could feel the tension between us," Su said. "It was understandable. He had never met a Chinese officer before, let alone been commanded by one. I had to win people's trust."

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations was founded in 1948. Its force - instantly identifiable in powder-blue berets or helmets - comprises soldiers, police officers and civilians from almost every UN member state.

Although the force in East Timor included more than 40 Chinese officers, Su was the only one in a position of authority. At the time, China had only recently started to participate in peacekeeping missions, and lacked the resources and experience to contribute fully. Now, as the country celebrates 15 years with the peacekeepers, the situation has changed immensely, and China is now the largest contributor of personnel to the department's missions.

Cooperation is key

"During my one-year deployment in East Timor, I won the trust of officers from other countries, including the NYPD. It wasn't about competition, but cooperation. As a leader, I was able to participate in the decision-making process and contribute a great deal," said Su, who worked as a mission manager at the UN's New York headquarters in 2008.

Since becoming involved in peacekeeping operations in 2000, China has deployed 2,138 officers in nine troubled or needy countries and regions, including Afghanistan and Haiti. "China will play an increasingly important role in missions by offering experts, team leaders, and a range of peacekeeping forces," said Zhu Ming, deputy director-general of the international cooperation department at the Ministry of Public Security.

According to Zhu, several Chinese officers have held high-level positions in the department's administration at the UN's headquarters in New York, and in the field. Also, more than 60 officers have held high-level positions, including chief of police, in regional task areas.

Pang Bo, a 43-year-old from Guangdong province, has taken part in a number of operations.

As a senior officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002, he initially worked with the local police on investigations or patrols, but was later appointed as an assistant to the chief of operations, and was able to participate in operation across the entire mission spectrum.

In 2004, he became deputy chief of operations in Haiti. "A higher position means more work and responsibility, but it also means you may be able to make a greater number of changes," he said.

When he first entered the notorious Sun City slum on the outskirts of the Haitian capital of Port au Prince, the smell of garbage and burning tires almost suffocated him. "A number of UN officers died in conflicts during my time there. The place was in chaos," he said.

In response, Pang and his colleagues devised a number of ingenious ways to encourage the locals to hand in their weapons, including offering to exchange precious tickets for a soccer match between Haiti and Brazil for guns.

After a year of similar initiatives, the situation had improved. "At least we didn't have to worry about stray bullets when walking on the street," he said.

Pang said the competition to win promotion was intense, but the rising number of Chinese in positions of authority is a result of their improved abilities and leadership capability.

"People used to have the impression that Chinese officers are shy and quiet, so these peacekeeping missions present many opportunities for the world to learn more about the Chinese police, and even China," he said.

"When I was on deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002, a French peacekeeper told me he'd never seen a Chinese police officer there before. A German policeman told me that until he visited Shanghai, he didn't believe China could have a world-class metropolis."

China sent formed police units, known as FPUs, to Haiti in 2004 and Liberia in 2013. According to the UN website, each FPU consists of 140 officers who are deployed as a group to undertake crowd control, protect UN staff and materials, and escort UN personnel when they visit dangerous or unsecured regions in a mission area.

Practicemakes perfect

Shao Weimin, a 41-year-old who was a member of the Chinese unit, said: "Not every country is able to send FPUs, because of the high standards required for personnel and equipment."

Compared with regular police units, FPUs deal with complicated situations in a faster and more efficient way. Shao said gunshots could be heard every day in Haiti in 2004, and the tough security situation required strong support from the FPU.

"Before we assembled our first unit, we didn't know how to do it, but we learned by practice and experience," said Shao, who was head of China's initial team of 30 peacekeepers.

"We prepared a draft action plan, and amended it according to the reports sent back by the team. We made a lot of alterations, including changing our long-sleeved uniform to short-sleeved ones because of the hot and humid weather in Haiti."

He said China's peacekeeping force has improved greatly in the past 15 years. However, there's still room for improvement, and some of the equipment, such as bulletproof vests that are too long and hamper movement, needs to be updated, he added.

"China's participation in peacekeeping came a little late in the day, but we've learned quickly and actively," he said.

In 2013, during an inspection of the Peacekeepers Training Center in Beijing, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the China's contribution and professionalism and said the UN would like to strengthen its partnership with the country.

Meanwhile, on Jan 21, the headquarters of the peacekeepers in Liberia formally thanked China's peacekeepers and FPUs for their work in creating conditions for lasting peace during the recent Ebola outbreak in the country.

Zhu Ming, from the Ministry of Public Security, said many countries withdrew their peacekeepers when the outbreak occurred, but the Chinese units stayed and medical support was strengthened to protect them from infection.

"We have been fighting Ebola with the locals, and we will deploy a third peacekeeping group in Liberia in March," he said.

Guo Fenghai, a professor at the PLA National Defense University, said China is assuming greater responsibility in line with its growing economic strength. "As China is one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, it is shouldering its responsibilities accordingly, such as taking the lead in peacekeeping missions," he said.

"Like many other overseas deployments, peacekeeping is a great opportunity to build China's image," he said, referring to escort missions by the navy of the People's Liberation Army in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia, and the provision of medical aid overseas.

"Equally important, though, the missions also provide many opportunities to learn and improve the services we offer," he said.

Contact the writer at pengyining@chinadaily.com.cn