A 275-member team of Chinese soldiers returned to Beijing Wednesday after wrapping up an eight-month peacekeeping mission with the United Nations (UN) in Liberia.

They were the second and last batch of the sixth peacekeeping detachment that China has sent to the African country. The first batch of 283 soldiers got back on April 20.

The detachment, with a total of 558 soldiers and officers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), consisted of a 240-member transport battalion, a 275-member engineering battalion, and a 43-member medical team.

They had successfully accomplished their tasks including facilitating transportation, building roads and bridges, and giving medical treatment to the sick and wounded since their arrival in the country last August.

All the 558 members of the sixth detachment in Liberia were awarded the first-class UN international peacekeeping medal for their outstanding performance.

China joined the peacekeeping mission in Liberia in December 2003 under Resolution 1509 of the UN Security Council. The government plans to send a total of 2,790 peacekeepers in rotation, with each mission lasting eight months.

The seventh peacekeeping detachment to Liberia departed on April 18 and April 28 respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2008)