China on Tuesday donated $700,000 to several UN funds on peacekeeping to support the mediation efforts of the United Nations.

Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy permanent representative at the UN, presented a $700,000 check to Alain Le Roy, under-secretary-general on peacekeeping at the UN headquarters in New York.

Liu said China has always attached great importance to the vital role the United Nations has played in peacekeeping and peace-building and actively supported the UN Secretariat in these areas.

He said China decided to donate another 500,000 dollars to the Trust Fund for the AU-UN Joint Mediation Support Team for Darfur in a bid to support efforts of the UN and the African Union (AU) in promoting the political process in the region.

China donated 500,000 dollars in March 2008 to the Trust Fund which was set up in September 2007.

Besides, China also provided 100,000 dollars to the Trust Fund for Preventive Action and a trust fund on supporting political affairs respectively so as to back the UN's efforts on preventive diplomacy and political mediation, Liu said.

Liu also told Le Roy that China will soon present the UN Peace-building Fund $1 million, completing the $3-million donation that it promised in September 2006.

Le Roy appreciated China's full support to the United Nations, hailing China's contribution to world peace and stability. He said the UN Secretariat will ensure the effective use of the donation China has made and further strengthen its cooperation with China in peacekeeping areas.

There are now about 2,100 Chinese troops serving in UN peacekeeping missions around the world, making China the largest contributor of troops among the five permanent UN Security Council members, or the 14th largest contributor among all UN members, according to Le Roy, who visited China late November for an international symposium on reforming the UN peacekeeping system.

As a developing country, China is the seventh largest financial contributor among all UN members to support the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations, Le Roy told reporters in Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2009)