China held a send-off ceremony on Tuesday for its 11th peacekeeping police contingent to the United Nations mission in South Sudan.

The event took place at the China Peacekeeping Police Training Center of the China People's Police University, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security.

Seventeen members of the contingent are scheduled to depart for South Sudan early Wednesday morning.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th anniversary of Chinese police participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, China firmly supports and actively participates in UN peace operations, said an official from the ministry's international cooperation bureau.

The deployment of this peacekeeping police contingent to South Sudan demonstrates China's commitment to the Global Security Initiative and its responsibility as a global power, the official added.