She said China would dispatch an engineering team and a medical team of the People's Liberation Army to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

UN peacekeeping operations had played an important role in solving regional conflicts and were widely appreciated, Zhang said.

She said China had so far dispatched military observers, civilian police, engineering officers and soldiers in more than ten UN peacekeeping operations, and last year China formally joined the Class-A standby arrangements system.

It is reported that the peacekeeping contingent of 175 officers and soldiers have finished their preparations, with all their engineering equipment made in China, and are awaiting departure orders from the United Nations.

A 43-strong military medical team will leave for the DRC at the same time.

In May 1997, the Chinese government decided in principle to take part in the United Nations' standby arrangements for its peacekeeping operations.

Since 1990, China has sent more than 1,450 officers and soldiers, including 640 military observers, liaison officials and consultants, on UN peacekeeping missions.

Fifty-three Chinese military observers are still serving in six regions, and two staff officers work in the UN peacekeeping department. Four Chinese servicemen have died and dozens have been wounded while on UN peacekeeping operations.

Since it first sent 15 policemen on UN peacekeeping operations in January 2000, the Chinese government has dispatched 198 civilian policemen in successive groups to serve in East Timor and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2003)