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UN Celebrates Chinese Peacekeepers in South Sudan Even as Questions Linger Over What Was Achieved

By Felix Brender 王哲謙 When seven hundred members of China’s 11th Peacekeeping Infantry Battalion were awarded the United Nations Peace Medal of Honour in Juba on 23 October 2025, Chinese media celebrated. State broadcaster Xinhua framed the event as proof of ...

On the Eve of FOCAC, China Publishes White Paper That Details Ties With Africa

The Chinese government laid out an ambitious blueprint for its ties with Africa detailed in a 36-page white paper published by the State Council (China's equivalent to the cabinet in the U.S.) on Friday, just two days before the opening of the eighth FOCAC ...

Photo of the Day: The PLA is “Under the Party’s Command”

This image of newly arrived Chinese blue helmets in the DRC provides an important reminder that, unlike most other militaries that operate under the command of their national government, the PLA is "under the Party's command" per the container in the background.

China’s Evolving Military Diplomacy in the Global South

By Lukas Fiala, LSE IDEAS China Foresight August 1st marked the 94th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). While CGTN celebrated the occasion with a blockbuster-esque video, showcasing the PLA’s growing military strength and operational know-how, China’s ambassador to ...

It’s Dumpling Time! Chinese Peacekeepers in the DRC Celebrate the Annual Dragon Boat Festival

Monday was the annual Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China when it's customary to eat sticky rice dumplings known as Zongzi 粽子. And even though they were far from home, a group of Chinese soldiers deployed as part of ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

2026: Africa-China Relations in a World Shaped by North-South Geopolitics

When talking about Africa–China relations, one is always moving along a sliding scale. There are myriad interactions with Chinese entities that concern only individual African countries, segueing into trends affecting the whole continent and sliding further into global dynamics shaping the developing world, of which Africa is the heart.

The Africa-China relationship is its own thing, but Africa’s fate can’t easily be separated from factors affecting the wider Global South, ...

Chinese UN Peacekeeping in Africa

Last month, China released its first-ever white paper on its participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKOs) around the world. The lengthy document provided an overview of China's 30-year history in contributing to PKOs and featured some new insights on ...

218 Chinese Blue Helmets Begin New Deployment in the DR Congo

The Chinese embassy in Kinshasa announced that a contingent of UN-commanded 218 PLA soldiers, who arrived in the country on September 30th, is now operational. The embassy noted that this is the Chinese military's 24th deployment to the DRC since 2003.

China to Increase Support for Peacekeeping Operations According to New White Paper

China will speak today at the United Nations General Assembly meeting, which is taking place online this year. Peacekeeping will likely be a key topic of discussion for the Chinese given the increasingly prominent role Beijing plays in UN operations around the world, particularly in ...

China Responds to Criticism That Peacekeeping Ops Serve Its National Interests in Africa

The Chinese government appears to be aware of the criticism that its contributions to international peacekeeping efforts are a cover to promote its own national security agenda in places like Africa, where it has sizable economic and geopolitical interests. In what ...

New “Wolf Warrior”-Style Doc on China’s UN Peacekeeping Ops in South Sudan Opens in Theaters

Timed to coincide with the release of China's new white paper on peacekeeping, a slick new documentary opened in theaters on Friday that showcases Chinese troops taking part in the UN peacekeeping operation in South Sudan. Judging by 

Glimpses of Future China-Africa Engagement

For a while, I've been wondering about Chinese peacekeeping in Africa. Specifically, I was wondering where it went as a topic of discussion. A few years ago, every second China-Africa seminar seemed to focus on peacekeeping. Then attention moved to debt, and I assumed that Beijing was ...

A Slick New Documentary Goes Full “Wolf Warrior” to Showcase China’s Blue Helmets in South Sudan

A trailer dropped this weekend for "Blue Defensive Line" (蓝色防线), a new documentary about Chinese United Nations peacekeeping troops in South Sudan that will air on the CCTV6 movie channel. It's interesting that the producers featured a soundbite in the trailer ...
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