Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaks at a press conference in Naypyidaw on June 29, 2018. Maurer said on Sept 28, 2018 China has contributed a lot to the development and humanitarian stabilization of societies. (PHOTO / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS - China has contributed a lot to the development and humanitarian stabilization of societies, said Peter Maurer, chief of the International Red Cross, on Friday. 

In an interview on the sideline of the 73rd UN General Assembly, Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), highly commended China's support towards countries that were under threats of war, violence and disruption. 

China's UN peacekeeping operations in the world's most dangerous areas are a major contribution, he said. 

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Over the years, the ICRC has been providing pre-deployment trainings for peacekeepers before they go on operations. 

The trainings are conducive to the peacekeepers' positive impact in the field, said Maurer, adding that they help ensure the peacekeepers' safety.

Maurer said he is very happy to see Chinese peacekeepers increasingly engage in UN operations, which represent vital interlocutors of the ICRC in the field. 

The ICRC chief also highlighted the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Currently, this independent humanitarian institution has been present and active in more than 40 countries along the Belt and Road route, he said. 

"I have always hoped that the humanitarian part of the Belt and Road Initiative would have a bigger significance in the future," he added.  

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