China sends 9th peacekeeping police squad to Haiti

A police squad left Beijing Tuesday night to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The 16-member squad, dispatched by Beijing's municipal police bureau, includes staff from the criminal investigation, traffic management, fire control, exit-entry and police training departments, the ministry said in a statement released Tuesday. The squad received preparatory training from May to July, learning about international law, first aid, the English language and other topics that will help them during their mission. According to the ministry, China has sent more than 1,700 police for UN peacekeeping missions to Timor Leste, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Liberia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Haiti and South Sudan since January 2000.