With China taking on more responsibilities on the world stage, its army has been modernized to be a positive force for world peace and regional stability.

They are soldiers taking part in escort missions along the Somalian coast to fight piracy.

Back home, they spare no efforts to save lives, aid the injured and relocate victims in quake zones of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

"Unlike soldiers in the West, Chinese soldiers have a responsibility to not only defend national sovereignty and security, but also to serve the people. That's unique in the world," said Professor Gong Fangbin from China National Defense University.

Professor Gong has been studying developments within the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for years.

He thinks that the Chinese army has more high-caliber personnel, in large part thanks to soldiers having higher education, and that it's carrying out the necessary reforms to modernize itself.

He said, "China is steadily reforming national defense and the army, and constantly modernizing its military forces. It's not a threat to the world. On the contrary, China's increased military strength is a positive contribution to the world."

In the last two decades, China has deployed more than 22,000 Chinese military peacekeepers. That's the largest number of peacekeepers among United Nations (UN) member states.

During an inspection of China's Peacekeeping Center, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that the UN could strengthen its partnership with China.

He said, "UN peacekeepers face new mandates and challenges that require the use of force. We will recognize that force alone could not solve today's conflict challenges to peace and security."

In a landmark event, China's navy welcomed its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, last September.

China has military relations with over 150 countries, and meets with foreign military delegations about 400 times a year.