By Ding Wendong and Zhao Wenhuan

BEIRUT, Mar. 22 -- The Blue Line security channels maintenance task performed by the 19th Chinese Construction Engineering Unit (CHINCEU) to Lebanon has passed the acceptance inspection by officials of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on March 18.

In the border area between Lebanon and Israel, there is a Blue Line formed by more than 300 connected blue buckets with a length of about 121 kilometers. It serves as a temporary ceasefire line delineated by the UN after the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon and ended its occupation in 2000. It was later regarded as a temporary border between Lebanon and Israel. Many security channels leading to the Blue Line, as well as those blue buckets, have been damaged to varying degrees due to the passage of time.

The Chinese peacekeepers completed inspection of the Blue Line on the Lebanon-Israel border along with Cambodian peacekeepers in October 2020 according to an order given by the headquarters of the UNIFIL. On November 3 of the same year, more than 40 CHINCEU members officially began the maintenance task of the Blue Line security channels.

According to the UNIFIL standard operating procedures, the maintenance involves path clearance, wire mesh and warning signs repair, blue buckets recoating, etc., so as to restore the original appearance of the security channels and blue buckets. The task aims to create a favorable environment for patrols, boundary demarcation, and other activities in this area in the future.

According to Kuang Zhibang, the mine clearance supervisor of the CHINCEU, the Chinese peacekeepers completed the maintenance of 106 Blue Line marking points, with a walking distance of about 900 kilometers during the mission.

After the acceptance inspection, the director of the operations department of the UNIFIL headquarters said, "Despite the challenges and difficulties, the Chinese peacekeepers have done an excellent job. This is very important for maintaining peace and stability in South Lebanon."