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| China to build up Lebanon profile | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| China will increase its peacekeeping presence in Lebanon to 1,000 troops, Premier Wen Jiabao has confirmed. | China will increase its peacekeeping presence in Lebanon to 1,000 troops, Premier Wen Jiabao has confirmed. |
| The move would make China one of the largest contributors to a strengthened UN force designed to keep the peace. | |
| It would also signal that China, now the world's fourth largest economy, was starting to lift its diplomacy in areas it had previously not seen as vital. | It would also signal that China, now the world's fourth largest economy, was starting to lift its diplomacy in areas it had previously not seen as vital. |
| The UN wants to install 15,000 troops in southern Lebanon as part of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. | The UN wants to install 15,000 troops in southern Lebanon as part of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. |
| It follows August's UN-brokered truce which ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. | It follows August's UN-brokered truce which ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. |
| More than 1,100 people - mostly civilians - were killed in Lebanon during the war. In Israel, more than 150 people - mainly soldiers - were killed. | More than 1,100 people - mostly civilians - were killed in Lebanon during the war. In Israel, more than 150 people - mainly soldiers - were killed. |
| Leading role | |
| Mr Wen made the announcement - which had been hinted at last week - following talks in Beijing with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi. | |
| "China is very concerned about the situation in Lebanon and hopes it can be fundamentally resolved," Mr Wen said. | |
| Mr Prodi said it showed China was taking on a greater diplomatic role. | |
| "This shows that China is assuming more and more international responsibility," he said. | |
| In the past, China has been reluctant to play leading roles in UN peacekeeping missions. | |
| But as its economy has grown more powerful, it has faced calls from the US and EU to play a greater role. It own foreign policy has shifted so that ensuring access to natural resources like oil is now a priority. | |
| Earlier this year - before the fighting between Israel an Hezbollah - China sent 180 peacekeepers to Lebanon, its first peacekeeping contingent to the Middle East. |