A 30-member contingent of Chinese riot police on Thursday embarked on a plane for Haiti as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

The contingent, part of a 125-strong riot police team, is China's fourth deployment to Haiti and is expected to be stationed in the Caribbean country for eight months.

The contingent included combat forces, logistics and medical personnel, and officials in charge of communications, said a source with the Ministry of Public Security.

Members of the team were selected from border police units in the southeastern province of Fujian, and had an average age of 28.

They will replace the third team of peacekeepers who left Beijing in December.

The police were trained on the language, shooting, driving, and combat skills, the police authority said, adding they had been appraised by UN officials.

Source: Xinhua