China has said it will send civilian police to take part in the United Nations peacekeeping force for East Timor.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sun Yuxi, who announced the move, said he could not give details of the size of the detachment.

But the decision confirms Beijing's endorsement of the UN's attempts to resolve the crisis.

China has played a major role in the UN peacekeeping operation only once before when it sent several hundred engineers to Cambodia in 1992.

But Beijing, which was shaken by the Nato intervention in Kosovo without UN sanction, has led calls for any action in East Timor to be under the UN.

Independence dilemma

East Timor's moves towards independence raise awkward questions for China, which has ruled out any similar referendum on independence for areas such as Tibet or Taiwan.

And Beijing remains uneasy about foreign intervention in any country.

But the persecution of ethnic Chinese during Indonesia's political turmoil last year may have alerted Beijing to the gravity of the situation in East Timor.

And with Indonesia's President Habibie giving his backing for the force, China may feel it is important to have an Asian presence as it seeks to emphasise its influence in international diplomacy.