China's 8,000 troops will be put on standby after training

The 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force that President Xi Jinping promised in 2015 has finished its registration process with the UN and will be deployed after training, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The force will include 28 divisions from 10 fields, ranging from infantry battalions and quick-response forces to helicopter and drone crews, said Wu Qian, the ministry's spokesman, at a news briefing in Beijing.