One hundred Chinese officers and soldiers left Beijing by plane Monday night as part of the fifth batch of peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to replace the fourth batch of peacekeeping troops currently stationed there.

The entire fifth batch of troops consists of a 175-member engineering detachment and a 43-member medical group. They went through a two-month intensive training on professional skills and knowledge about the DRC before departure.

The second part of the fifth batch is set to leave for the DRC on December 26.

According to an official with the peacekeeping affairs office of China's Ministry of National Defense, China has dispatched 1,090 peacekeeping personnel to the DRC so far.

"They have fulfilled their UN peacekeeping missions superbly through their dedication, strict discipline, fortitude and time-tested capability," said the official.

China sent its fourth batch of peacekeeping troops to the DRC in April this year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)