World
Chinese armed forces' engagement in international cooperation in 2022
By Ma Miaomiao  ·  2023-01-09  ·   Source: NO.2 JANUARY 12, 2023
Chinese peacekeepers march at a medal parade ceremony in Hanniyah village, south Lebanon, on July 1, 2022 (XINHUA)

From November 10 to 18, 2022, Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark conducted its 10th overseas medical mission in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia. During the mission, the ship provided vital medical assistance in what was dubbed Mission Harmony-2022.

The vessel berthed in the Southeast Asian country with 111 doctors and nurses from a naval medical university. They conducted 13,488 diagnoses and performed 37 surgeries for local residents, Chinese community members and staff members of Chinese institutions in Indonesia, the navy said in a news release.

Experts also hosted online academic seminars with their counterparts from the Indonesian naval hospital and participated in online joint consultation on difficult diseases with experts from multiple countries, according to the release.

This is an example of how the Chinese armed forces have contributed to world peace and development.

Dialogue and cooperation 

China is an active participant in global security governance. In April 2022, Chinese PresidentXi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative, which champions the commitment to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and working together to maintain world peace and security. 

In 2022, leaders of the Central Military Commission, the supreme leading organ of the Chinese armed forces, held meetings, talks and video calls with their counterparts from the defense departments and militaries of Russia, the U.S., Cambodia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other countries to boost collaboration, Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said on December 29.

In June, China sent a high-level delegation to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, the premier defense and security summit in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese representatives also participated in the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security in August as well as many other multilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.

China also attended multilateral events such as the Ninth ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus in Cambodia in November, a gathering of defense ministers from ASEAN and its dialogue partners including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the U.S.

China will continue to deepen practical cooperation with neighboring countries in diverse fields and play a positive role in building a community with a shared future for humanity, Tan said, adding the country will further strengthen defense and security cooperation with other developing countries.

In July, the ministerial meeting of the Second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum took place via video link. China and Africa should maintain close strategic communication, step up equipment and technological cooperation, deepen joint maritime exercises and training, and expand exchanges in professional fields, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said at the event.

During the First China-Arab States Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December, Xi proposed eight major initiatives on bilateral practical cooperation, according to which China will work with the Arab side to strengthen strategic dialogues between their defense departments and military forces as well as exchanges between military units and between academies, deepen cooperation on maritime security, international peacekeeping and professional techniques, and expand joint military exercises and training as well as personnel training.

On December 13, at a virtual forum attended by officers of national defense departments and militaries from China and 24 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, Wei called on participants to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, work together to cope with risks and challenges, and make more contributions to regional and world peace and stability.

China-U.S. theater commanders' talks, defense policy coordination talks and military maritime security consultative mechanisms were suspended in August, following then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's highly provocative visit to China's Taiwan region, which violates the one-China principle. Nevertheless, Wei held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin while attending the ASEAN defense ministers' meeting.

They voiced the view that the two militaries should earnestly implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, maintain communication and contact, strengthen crisis management and control and strive to maintain regional security and stability.

Humanitarian assistance 

In August, China also held the First Shared Vision International Peacekeeping Forum, which brought together officials from major contributors of troops and funding to UN peacekeeping operations, including Argentina, Bangladesh and Brazil, as well as officials from international and regional organizations such as the United Nations and the African Union.

Bearing in mind the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has continued to provide public security goods to the international community, Tan said.

Deng Qiang, captain of the Peace Ark, has taken part in four overseas missions. "We have cared for life, sown the seeds of friendship throughout the world and maintained world peace by healing the wounded and rescuing the dying," he told China Daily.

In addition to the missions undertaken by the Peace Ark, China's Y-20 heavy transport aircraft also participated in humanitarian relief tasks in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries in 2022.

China's armed forces also took an active part in UN peacekeeping and escort operations.

The year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of China's participation in UN peacekeeping operations with its first formed military unit of Blue Helmets. Over the past three decades, China has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to nearly 30 operations in more than 20 countries and regions.

China, a key force in the peacekeeping operations, has become the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments. More and more often, Chinese peacekeepers can be seen in areas where peace is needed most. They have brought peace, security, hope and warmth to people in war-torn areas, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. 

UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said last September that China took a leading role in supporting the efforts of UN peacekeeping operations and has shown its sense of responsibility as a major country in safeguarding world peace.

Joint drills 

China organized and sent troops to take part in joint military drills such as the Vostok (East)-2022 strategic exercise and Joint Sea 2022, aiming to deepen mutual trust and cooperation with other militaries, and playing a positive role in improving real combat training, Tan said.

The PLA has continued to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation with its Russian counterpart, and maintained high-level strategic coordination between the two militaries. For example, Chinese and Russian navies conducted a military exercise entitled Joint Sea 2022 in the East China Sea from December 21 to 27.

The series of China-Russia Joint Sea exercises, which began in 2012, have become a stable cooperation platform and communication channel for the two navies to elevate strategic mutual trust, enhance traditional friendship, and improve the capability of joint maritime operations, Gao Xiucheng, a spokesperson for the Chinese navy, said on December 20, 2022.

The International Army Games 2022, a platform for militaries to exchange experience and strengthen cooperation, took place on the territories of 12 countries, including China, Russia and Iran, from August 13 to 27. It drew the participation of over 270 teams from 37 countries and regions. The Chinese armed forces sent nine teams abroad to participate in competitions in Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Uzbekistan.

(Print Edition Title: Pursuing Peace) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

Comments to mamm@cicgamericas.com  

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