China could soon emulate Japan by hosting Major League Baseball games -- half a century after the sport was banned in the country by Chairman Mao.
MLB officials are anxious to unearth baseball's version of Yao Ming before China hosts the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"Our goal is to open the season in China -- with regular-season games -- in the very near future," MLB president Bob DuPuy told Reuters on Thursday.
"We think that China provides enormous opportunity to us and that in a very short period of time China can do for Major League Baseball what Japan has done for Major League Baseball."
MLB's marketing strategists are looking to strike while the iron is hot in the build-up to Beijing and have sent a delegation to China to explore the possibility of regular-season games.
"We have a party visiting China while we are here for the all-star tournament," DuPuy said on the sidelines of a five-game exhibition series between MLB and Japanese all-stars in Japan.
"China hosting the Olympics and what is, at least for the moment, the last appearance of baseball in the Olympics, makes it that much more imperative that we establish a beachhead there as soon as possible."
DuPuy added: "We're trying to develop something in China similar to the relationship we have now with Japan."
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