"China has decided to increase its peacekeeping force in Lebanon to 1,000," he told a joint briefing with visiting Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

"China is very concerned about the situation in Lebanon and hopes it can be fundamentally resolved."

Currently the United Nation's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) consists of 2,000 troops, including around 240 Chinese peacekeepers.

However, it can increase to a maximum of 15,000 troops under UN resolution 1701 aimed at maintaining peace between Israeli forces and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah movement.

Prodi said that China's growing commitment to Lebanon was a reflection of Beijing's rising international status.

"With China's assistance, peace can come sooner to Lebanon," Prodi said.

"In the future the Israel-Palestine issue must also be resolved, and all countries must participate in this through the United Nations, and China can also participate."

Wen had reportedly promised 1,000 personnel during a meeting with European leaders earlier this month, but Monday was his first public confirmation.

Last month China strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. A Chinese UN observer was killed in one of the air attacks, while three others were wounded by an apparent Hezbollah mortar bomb this month.

China has only started sending troops on peacekeeping missions in recent years.

Between 1992 and 1994, Beijing sent two contingents of 400 engineers and about 50 observers on peacekeeping missions, breaking with its previous Maoist political policies that viewed collective security as an instrument of American imperialism.

"This would be the first time that China will deploy such a large military force," said Jocelyn Coulon, director of a research network on peacekeeping operations at the University of Montreal.

"One question worth knowing is whether these troops will be put on patrol along the border between Israel and Lebanon, or at infrastructure projects.

"It has been noted that in peacekeeping operations the Chinese try to avoid human losses and try to deploy their units in places where they won't have contact with other parties involved and are not in a position where they will have to shoot."

Under such a policy, China has largely sent engineers, medical personnel and civilian police units as part of their peacekeeping deployments, he said.

China's peace mission to Lebanon is aimed at reinforcing its international presence, shoring up its energy interests in the Middle East and maintaining its diplomacy of non-interference, other analysts said.

"Whether in the Middle East or in other places, what counts for China is to project an image of power," said Valerie Niquet, director of the Asia Center at the Paris-based French Institute of International Relations.

"Obviously, one of the elements is the capacity of China to show that it participates as a major power in major international issues, notably in peacekeeping operations."

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