LANGFANG, July 2 (Xinhua) -- One hundred and thirty-one Chinese anti-riot policemen passed a final UN recruitment exam for peacekeepers on Sunday, and 125 of them will be dispatched to Haiti in August for a UN peacekeeping mission.

    This will be the fourth unit of UN peacekeepers China has dispatched to Haiti.

    The UN selection test, held at the China Peacekeeping Police Training Center in Langfang of North China's Hebei Province, 50 km southeast of Beijing, includes examinations on anti-riot procedures, searching techniques, VIP protection, combat techniques, psychology skills, physical agility training, driving training and vehicle maintenance.

    Deputy Chief Adviser to the UN mission in Haiti, John Smith, said the Chinese policemen are very professional and he believes that they will play an important role in improving the unstable situation in Haiti.

    All the members of the unit received advanced training for five months prior to the test in 31 courses including shooting, driving and anti-rioting procedures.

    Ministry figures show over 700 of its police peacekeepers have served the UN peacekeeping mission since China dispatched the first team in 2000.

    "All provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China have contributed to the operations," said Gao Xinman, deputy director of the training center.

    China is the second largest contributor of peacekeeping police forces out of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and its police officers are working under the UN flag in task places including Kosovo, Liberia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Sudan and Haiti. Terms for Chinese peacekeepers vary from 8 months to one year.

    Chinese peacekeepers have won extensive accolades because of their strict discipline and high efficiency. In January 2005, Chinese peacekeeping anti-riot police in Haiti were awarded UN peace medals for their outstanding performance in the crisis-torn countries, the highest honor granted by the UN to peacekeeping missions. Enditem