China sends 10th peacekeeping squad to Liberia

A police squad left Beijing Tuesday night for Liberia to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the west African country, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The 17-member squad included staff from the criminal investigation, drug control, traffic and special police departments of central China's Hunan Province, the ministry said in a statement released Wednesday.

Five of the 17 police personnel have previously participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

The personnel were sent to replace a police squad from east China's Zhejiang Province, who are expected to return to China on August 1.

According to the ministry, China has sent 1,708 police for UN peacekeeping missions to East Timor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan since January 2000.