China Prepares to Send Peacekeepers to Darfur
People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, who are members of a U.N. peacekeeping unit destined for Darfur, train at their base in China's central Henan Province, Sept. 15, 2007. Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, who are members of a U.N. peacekeeping unit destined for Darfur, train at their base in China's central Henan Province, Sept. 15, 2007.
Peter Parks/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Chinese government organized a reporters' trip to an army base in central Henan province to see the People's Liberation Army engineering unit headed to Darfur to join peacekeeping forces there.
Saturday's reporting trip was clearly an attempt to deflect criticism over China's close economic ties with the government of Sudan which is held responsible for much of the killing in Darfur. But the trip also highlighted China's growing participation in U.N. and other peacekeeping efforts.