China largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping – Chinese Defence Attaché

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Defence Attaché, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Senior Colonel Ouyang Haisheng, has said that China is currently the largest contributor of troops to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations among the five Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council.

This was even as he said China is the second largest financial contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Speaking during a ceremony to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Abuja, Ouyang recalled that 98 years ago, China was in its darkest hour as the nation was extremely chaotic, and some people tried to make change with foreign systems, relying on warlords to achieve the goal.

He, however, said the reality was that all warlords fought for territory and wealth, and the copied systems from abroad eventually became tools for power struggles and corruption, and the people still struggled between life and death.

According to the defence attaché, it was only after the Communist Party of China was born and created the people’s own army, after more than 20 years of fighting for the people, did the new China finally establish.

Ouyang stated that the Chinese people have absolute trust in the party and the PLA, and the two have never failed the people’s trust.

He added that the people’s feelings for the party and the PLA were unique in the world, which other countries may find difficult to understand.

“Children who get lost know that they will be safe as long as they find the People’s Liberation Army. They know that these people are always trustworthy. Deeply rooted in its peace-loving tradition, China remains steadfastly committed to peaceful development and maintains a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. Currently, the PLA is also carrying out UN peacekeeping missions around the world. China is now the largest troop contributor of peacekeeping among the P5 and second-largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping. We are making greater contributions to the people of the world through practical actions,” Ouyang said.

Continuing, Ouyang noted that the world is currently entering a period of heightened turbulence and volatility, and the international community is confronting multiple crises unprecedented in history.

As a result of the challenges, he said Chinese President Xi Jinping has therefore proposed the Global Security Initiative, advocating a new path toward security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win results over zero-sum game.

“It aims to build the widest consensus and provide new pathways to advance global security governance and address humanity’s shared security challenges. ‘If you want to go fast, walk alone; if you want to go far, walk together.’ China will always maintain an open attitude towards cooperation and inclusiveness with any country. Together with the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Security Initiative constitutes an important pillar of China’s efforts in advancing global governance. These initiatives continue to provide Chinese wisdom and solutions to addressing humanity’s common security challenges.

“Finally, I would like to make a forecast: China will hold a military parade in Tiananmen Square, downtown Beijing, on September 3rd to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Those in the parade are domestically-produced, active-duty, main combat weapons and equipment, a complete array of our military’s system-based combat capabilities, of new-domain and new-quality combat strength, and is a concentrated embodiment of our country’s independent innovation of weaponry. The main features would be systematisation, full-element covering, and real-combat orientated. In addition to the new generation of traditional weaponry, some new combat forces such as unmanned, intelligent, underwater warfare, network and electronic warfare, and hypersonic equipment will also be arranged. So please stay tuned and watch the live broadcast at that junction,” Ouyang requested.

In his remarks, the Minister of State, Defence, Bello Matawalle, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, extended warm felicitations to the government and the people of the People’s Republic of China.

Matawalle said the anniversary was not only a celebration of the enduring strength and evolution of the People’s Liberation Army, but also a reflection of China’s remarkable journey in safeguarding national sovereignty, contributing to global peace, and promoting international development.

“Nigeria and China share a time-honoured friendship and a robust strategic partnership. Over the years, our two nations have nurtured strong ties across economic, political, cultural, and most notably, defence and security cooperation,” Matawalle said.