By Yang Zhengzhong and Li Kai

XI'AN, China, Sept. 17 -- The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping drone training program, jointly organized by the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Engineering University, recently kicked off in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The two-week program brought together 22 military officers from 12 countries, with experts from the UN and China serving as instructors.

The program is not only a concrete step to fulfill the relevant commitments made at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 held in May, but also a concrete action of the Chinese military in actively implementing the Global Security Initiative, firmly safeguarding international fairness and justice, and facilitating the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Seeking to promote international military exchanges in the drone field, this program aims to help other troop-contributing countries improve their drone training, enhance their capabilities to operate in complex environments, and better perform the UN peacekeeping missions. Experts are invited to give theoretical lectures on operations in peacekeeping missions, including drone task deployment, training management, logistics support, risk and threat response, future application, and other subjects. The practical drone operations course, set in the context of the UN peacekeeping conflict mediation, simulates the actual peacekeeping scenarios to improve the trainees' capabilities of using drones to conduct various tasks including aerial reconnaissance, target identification, supply transportation and replenishment, medical aid, and disaster relief.