China's armed forces also play a major role in supporting national development and dealing with threats unrelated to national security, such as emergency rescue, disaster relief and maintaining social stability.

Since 2011, the PLA and the PAPF have contributed a total of 370,000 personnel, organized 870,000 militiamen and reservists to participate in emergency-rescue and disaster-relief operations in response to floods, earthquakes, droughts, ice jams, typhoons and fires. Such relief efforts have helped more than 2.45 million people and delivered 160,000 tons of goods to disaster areas.

The PLA also provided security for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 2009, the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 and the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010, contributing a total of 145,000 personnel.

Protecting China abroad

With the gradual integration of China's economy into the world economic system, overseas interests have become an integral part of China's national interests. Security issues are increasingly prominent, involving overseas resources, strategic lines of communication, and overseas Chinese nationals and legal persons.

Vessel protection at sea, evacuation of Chinese nationals overseas, and emergency rescue have become important ways by which the PLA safeguards national interests and fulfills China's international obligations. The white paper introduces PLA accomplishments in these areas.

According to the paper, the Chinese Government dispatched a combined naval task force to conduct escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia on December 26, 2008. As of December 2012, the Chinese Navy has dispatched, in 13 task groups, a total of 34 warships to participate in escort missions.

In February 2011, the turbulent situation in Libya posed grave security threats to Chinese institutions, enterprises and nationals in that country. The Chinese Government organized the largest overseas evacuation since the founding of the PRC, and 35,860 Chinese nationals were returned home.

The white paper also illustrates the active role that China's armed forces have played in maintaining world peace and regional stability in recent years.

Since 1990, the PLA has dispatched 22,000 military personnel on 23 UN peacekeeping missions. So far, China has been the biggest troop and police contributor among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In the future, China's armed forces will continue to actively participate in international security cooperation, and contribute more to world peace and stability.

(The article is edited for space purposes. See www.chinafrica.cn for the full text)

Armed Forces Numbers

» China's 2.3-million-strong military forces are composed of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police Force and the nation's militia.

» China now has about 850,000 army servicemen in 18 combined corps and additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades). The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are organized under seven military area commands in Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

» The PLA Navy has a total of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets - the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet.

» The PLA Air Force has about 398,000 personnel and an air command in each of the seven military area commands. It also has one airborne corps.

» The PLA Second Artillery Force, the country's core force for strategic deterrence, is composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units. It is equipped with a series of Dongfeng ballistic missiles and Changjian cruise missiles. It also commands missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions.

(Source: The Diversifed Employment of China's Armed Forces white paper)