In the scorching heat of South Sudan, where temperatures at guard posts could reach a blistering 60 degrees Celsius, Captain Tong Fan carries 20kg of gear on her shoulders.
She is one of the 13 women serving in China's peacekeeping infantry battalion in Juba, and they are redefining what it means to keep peace in fractured communities.
"Due to a natural affinity, women can be better listeners. I believe this is an irreplaceable role we play in peacekeeping missions," Tong says in an episode of a documentary titled "Blue Helmets, No Borders" released on Sunday by China Global Television Network (CGTN).
That irreplaceable role often unfolds in subtle yet profound ways. While patrolling or stationed at checkpoints, Tong and her female colleagues become unexpected pillars of trust, especially for women and children affected by violence.
"This uniform already represents strength. Personally, I want to do more humanitarian work. When women or children experience violations of their rights, they are more willing to come to us women," she says.
For Tong, the blue helmet she wears symbolizes more than protection or duty.
"The blue helmet we wear or our heads may be just a helmet, but to me, it carries great significance. It's not just the physical weight, but the weight of our mission. When you see the blue helmet, it's like a cartoon of the 13 of us female soldiers with a caption that reads, 'Women in blue helmets come for peace,'" she said.
Over the 35 years since it first joined UN peacekeeping operations, China has dispatched over 50,000 peacekeepers to more than 20 countries and regions, undertaking 26 UN missions.
Through heat, hardship, and moments of human connection, Tong and other women like her are not only serving on the frontlines of peacekeeping, they are helping write its next chapter, one built on listening, trust, and the quiet power of presence.
CGTN documentary on Chinese female peacekeepers
Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.
"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.
He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.
"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.
"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.
Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival
