Beijing - China is considering the deployment of its first combat troops as part of a growing role in United Nations peacekeeping operations, a UN official said on Friday.

"I understand that they are considering sending combat troops but no decision has been made at this stage," Alain Le Roy, the UN under-secretary for peacekeeping operations, said after meeting Chinese military leaders in Beijing.

China's 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army has so far provided only engineering, transportation, medical and other logistical services, but the affiliated People's Armed Police has sent some officers for UN peacekeeping duties.

"They have told me at the highest level that they are considering ... (ways) to steadily increase their participation within their capacity," Le Roy told reporters.

"They don't exclude any country," Le Roy said.

He said China currently provided about 2,100 of the UN's 115,000 peacekeepers deployed on 15 operations, putting it 14th in the list of contributing nations.

China was the seventh highest contributor to the UN's 7.8-billion-dollar budget for peacekeeping operations this year, he said.

He said China's "very professional" peacekeepers were working in nations including Sudan, Lebanon, Liberia, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UN peacekeeping had changed rapidly over the past decade, involving "much more complex and diverse tasks" in a "very difficult environment," he said.

"And that's why it's important to have China as a strategic partner in this difficult environment," Le Roy said.

China's hosting this week of an international forum on UN peacekeeping, attended by 30 nations, was also "very positive," he said.

He said UN officials had "no concerns" about China's participating in UN missions in nations where China had strong diplomatic ties, such as Sudan.

"If they can have some leverage with some specific countries, we will try to make the best use of it," he said.

In addition to its role in UN peacekeeping, China has sent ships to join international rescue exercises and anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.

China jumped to second place last year in the list of the world's biggest military spenders, behind only the United States, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported earlier this year.

China's estimated military spending reached 85 billion dollars, one-seventh of the estimated US spending, the institute said. (dpa)