Let's take a look at China's role in peacekeeping operations in Africa.

China has begun to take part in UN peacekeeping operations from 1990. Since then, over thirty thousand Chinese soldiers have served in 24 UN peacekeeping missions. Chinese peacekeepers have also set foot in Mali, Liberia, DR Congo and South Sudan among other African countries.

And, according to the undersecretary-general for UN Peacekeeping Operations, China is set to contribute more than 10 percent of the UN peacekeeping budget from 2016 to 2018. That makes China the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping missions.

Meanwhile, Chinese peacekeeping contingents have been commended by the UN several times. They were awarded the UN medal for peacekeeping in 2005, 2012, and 2015.