On July 22 local time, some American congressmen openly exaggerated the claim that “China uses United Nations peacekeeping operations to carry out intelligence activities”, and hyped up the topic of “Chinese influence”. This was sternly refuted by the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
According to the Hong Kong 'South China Morning Post', during a hearing held by the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, some Republican lawmakers claimed that Chinese peacekeepers were deployed in 'strategic sensitive areas' such as along the 'Belt and Road' initiative, near ports, mineral resources, and potential military bases. They questioned whether this was done to 'cover up military and intelligence purposes'.
October 14, 2024, Lebanon. Inside a protective observation post in the camp area, sentries are observing the surroundings of the camp area. Visual China
The U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Michael Wallace, also delivered his statement.
What is ironic is that what's visible before our eyes is China's contribution to UN peacekeeping operations, which has been widely recognized. However, due to the political atmosphere surrounding China-related issues, his speech came across as rather awkward and hesitant.
He first admitted that China's peacekeeping forces are generally well-equipped and are better equipped than those of other member states to carry out United Nations missions.
"Though it's so…" He immediately opened his mouth and declared that he "would never believe" that Chinese peacekeeping personnel would not be performing local duties in the area under the guise of "eye and ear."
When discussing UN reform, Waltz again admitted, "Speaking fairly", China's contribution to the Security Council "has often been beneficial."
However, he also stated that China's peacekeeping forces could "play a dual role," and the United States is "highly vigilant" regarding this.
The contradictory statements before and after are truly puzzling, and the attempts at mutual confrontation from both sides are quite disheartening.
Waltz also hypes up the so-called “suppression” by the mainland side of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Additionally, some American politicians maliciously exaggerate China’s influence over United Nations member states.
In response to the accusations from the US side, the Chinese Embassy in the US stated that the Taiwan issue is a matter of China's internal affairs, and the claims made by that committee are baseless.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy stated that countries should make independent judgments based on specific issues and their own national interests at the United Nations, and should not be distorted by some people using 'Cold War thinking'.
United Nations peacekeeping operations are an important mechanism for the international community to maintain peace and security. Over the past 30 years, Chinese peacekeepers have undertaken numerous tasks related to ceasefire monitoring. They have made significant contributions to promoting compliance with ceasefire agreements, maintaining regional peace, and advancing political processes.
China's Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Sun Lei, stated on June 23 that China actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations. It is the second-largest contributor to such operations and the largest contributor in terms of troop deployment among the permanent members of the Security Council. China has established a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 personnel and took the lead in forming the world's first fully equipped permanent peacekeeping police unit. More than 20 Chinese peacekeepers have lost their lives in these operations, including a female peacekeeper.
