A memorial has been held in Mali's captial Bamako to pay tribute to Shen Liangliang, the first Chinese peacekeeper killed in a UN mission in Mali. More than 200 people attended the ceremony, including several high-ranking officials like the chief of the mission, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, China's ambassador to Mali, Lu Huiying, and Chinese general Su Guanghui.

Annadif underlined the "courage and commitment" of the nearly 400 Chinese peacekeepers serving in Mali. China began sending troops to support the Mali mission, known as MINUSMA in 2013, carrying out security, engineering and medical work. Shen's body will be flown back to China later on Wednesday.