A team of lawmakers from China's National People's Congress is set for a showdown with their Japanese counterparts on October 13 in Dalian - on the football pitch.
The match has been in the making for three years ever since Yohei Kono, speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet, proposed the idea during a meeting with China's top legislator Wu Bangguo in 2005 as a way of improving relations between the two countries, according to Sheng Huaren, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
Rather than citing thorny diplomatic relations in recent years, Sheng said China took so long to accept the invitation because the NPC didn't have a football team at the time.
"After thorough considerations, we began to organize a team from the beginning of this year and set a date for the competition with the Japanese side," team captain Wang Yunlong said.
The 35-member squad, the first ever of its kind in the history of the NPC, was formally established on Wednesday and has already held three training sessions in Beijing.
The players, with an average age of 45, are top legislators working in various fields: entrepreneurs, teachers, actors, scientists and athletes from 12 provinces, municipalities and cities.
Fan Yunjie, former captain of the national women's football team, will also be included in the team as the only female member.
Japan required a 12-a-side match, with one female to illustrate the important role women have been playing in the law-making work, Wang said.
"It will definitely boost friendship and communications between Chinese legislators and Japanese parliamentary members," he said.
Lawmaker Wang Yuancheng, 40, a player from Shandong Province, said he felt honored to be chosen to play.
"I cherish the chance of communication. First of all, I need to learn some simple Japanese to greet them," Wang said.
"I'll try my best," he pledged, while admitting he was in the dark about the quality of his opponents and their tactics.
"We will play under the spirit of friendship first," Wang Yunlong told his team members, adding that more activities of this kind will probably be organized in the future.
"The 10th NPC has established regular communications with its counterpart in 14 countries, including Japan and the European countries, and holding a football match is an active way to promote communication between the lawmakers," Sheng Huaren said.
Even before the first whistle has been blown Sheng has his eye on victory in other disciplines.
"This is just the beginning. We will continue to broaden our contacts with our Japanese counterparts through various competitions such as ping-pong, Chinese chess, calligraphy and bridge," Sheng said.
Source: Xinhua
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