Army Guy Posted April 13, 2006 Report Posted April 13, 2006 What do you guys make of this ? And what kind of message is China trying to send ? China beefs up international protection initiatives China is including protective elements in its UN force deployment to Sudan as Beijing edges towards a more active involvement in international peacekeeping operations. "They are very conscious of crossing the threshold and [are] talking about 'security' and a 'protective force', not combat troops," a Beijing-based source told Jane's. "The eventual goal is to start deploying more robust contingents that don't rely on others for security." China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has committed a contingent of 435 personnel to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), which has an authorised military strength of 10,000, including a 4,000-strong dedicated protective force. The PLA troops will be based at Wau in Sector Two of the UNMIS area. The PLA began training for this mission in early 2005 and deployed an advance party of 25 personnel in August 2005. A second advance party of 25 left for Sudan on 3 April, with the main body expected to depart for Khartoum around May. Drawn from the Jinan Military Region, the PLA contingent is mainly mandated to help rebuild infrastructure and destroy weapons. It includes 275 engineers, 100 transport personnel and 60 medical personnel. A one-platoon protective element is discretely integrated among these troops, sources said. It is not known whether the PLA has previously included dedicated security personnel in its limited number of UN peacekeeping deployments. However, sources said, Beijing clearly aims to "move down this path incrementally". China has had limited involvement in UN peacekeeping operations since joining the organisation in 1972. It had deployed just 522 military observers, liaison officers or advisors on UN peacekeeping missions by late 2000, but then began to re-evaluate its policy and is gradually becoming more active. UNMIS was launched after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on 24 March 2005 intended to support a peace agreement concluded by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. Separately, Beijing and Khartoum pledged to enhance bilateral military co-operation during a visit to China in early April by Sudanese Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein. China rethinks UN role (jdw.janes.com, 08/05/02) Quote We, the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have now done so much for so long with so little, we are now capable of doing anything with nothing.
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