NANJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- China's armed forces have become a key factor and a vital force in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping efforts, experts noted during a relevant academic seminar on Friday in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province.

The seminar, themed "35 Years of Peacekeeping: A New Journey for China's Armed Forces," was attended by over 100 experts and scholars from China's foreign ministry, public security ministry, relevant departments of the Central Military Commission, as well as various military and civilian institutions and think tanks.

Zhou Hui, a professor at the National University of Defense Technology, said that over the past 35 years of the Chinese military's participation in UN peacekeeping operations, the composition of Chinese peacekeeping forces has been expanded from single-service units to multiple military forces.

Chinese peacekeepers can, therefore, undertake a broader range of tasks, expanding their operational goals from ceasefire monitoring to the pursuit of lasting peace, he added.

At present, more than 1,800 Chinese military personnel are carrying out missions across seven UN peacekeeping mission areas and at UN Headquarters. The Chinese military has deployed more than 50,000 peacekeepers since 1990.

China is the second-largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and provides more peacekeepers than any of the other permanent members of the UN Security Council. ■