China has so far conducted ten peacekeeping missions in Africa and played an active role in safeguarding Africa's peace and stability, said a Chinese senior military official here on Tuesday.

The official with China's Defense Ministry in charge of peacekeeping issues said the missions China has conducted "fully reflect China's determination of active participation in safeguarding regional peace and stability and show China's image of a large and responsible country".

At the request of the United Nations, China firstly sent a peacekeeping force to the Democratic Republic of Congo in April 2003, and since then China has sent 3975 peacekeeping personnel to three UN mission areas including Liberia and Sudan in Africa.

"The strict discipline, high quality and remarkable contribution of Chinese military officers and soldiers in their peacekeeping missions have left a deep impression on the international community and the local governments and people," said the official in an interview with Xinhua.

Chinese peacekeeping personnel have always worked in hard conditions but have done good jobs, the official said.

In April 2003 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with adverse natural conditions and turbulent domestic situation, Chinese peacekeeping troop created its barracks on a hillside with weeds, stones and garbage everywhere.

The chief of staff of the UN special mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo was surprised at seeing the new Chinese barracks, as two months ago he had asked other country's troop to reinforce the hillside but was refused. The latter said it was too difficult to camp there.

The Chinese peace-keeping troop to the Democratic Republic of Congo had conducted a UN mission in Cambodia from April 1992 to September 1993, and once created the miracle of building a bridge within 24 hours there.

During the three years and four months of peacekeeping work, this troop has repaired 3,600 kilometers of roads and 130 bridges, leveled 300,000 square meters of land, taken over and destroyed 80guns and 5,000 bullets and treated 1,500 kilograms of explosive.

Many UN officials said Chinese peacekeeping forces have both fast working speed and trustworthy working quality.

In Sudan, a hottest place with the nickname of "world stove", Chinese firstly sent a peacekeeping troop there in May 2006 and received a task of building a three-kilometer road a week after arrival.

Despite the high temperature of over 50 degrees Celsius, the Chinese soldiers finished the road within three days and received praise from the UN official who checked the project and said "Chinese engineers, good!"

In Liberia, where mosquito and snakes are often seen and malaria and flu frequently break out, Chinese peacekeeping personnel had to use a pole to tap the ground to drive away snakes in grass on their way to carry on tasks.

Xiao Hai, a famous heart and chest surgical expert and vice-president of the Fuzhou General Hospital of the Nanjing Military Area Command, headed a medical care team to Sudan to treat patients there in March 2004.

Xiao said, "although the conditions there were very tough, when we saw the surprised eyes of the common people there and their strong local accent saying welcome and thank words, we felt it very worthy to do it no matter how dangerous it was."

During the one-year long mission, Xiao's team all together treated over 2,000 patients, received about 200 in-patients and performed more than 60 operations.

A Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General said to the Chinese peacekeeping troop, "you are representatives of China participating in international peacekeeping missions and the representatives of China loving peace and devoting to peace".

Chinese peacekeeping personnel also did their best to aid the local people while finishing their job.

In June 2006, the fifth medical team of China to the Democratic Republic of Congo went to a primary school in Bukavu city near the Chinese camp to do health checkup for 600 children and donated basketballs, footballs, food and medicine to the school.