UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Chinese UN peacekeeping troops on Wednesday ahead of talks with Chinese leaders expected to focus on North Korea, Syria and other international issues.
“China provides more peacekeepers to the United Nations than all of the four other permanent members combined. I applaud this solidarity,” Ban said in prepared remarks to Chinese peacekeepers.
Ban was scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later on Wednesday and Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday.
“I would like to have more in-depth discussions with President Xi Jinping and other leaders on how China can contribute further to the reduction of tension on the Korean peninsula,” Ban told China’s official Xinhua news agency before his trip.
He said he also planned to discuss Syria, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Chinese leaders.
New operations in the DRC and Mali reflected “a possible evolution in UN peacekeeping, which must adapt to new threats of our time,” Ban said in his speech on Wednesday.
“I look forward to an even stronger partnership with China for peace,” he said.