Among the top 10, China boasts two stronger opponents - Zhou Mi and Wang Cheng - both former key players in the national team but now playing for Hong Kong.

Former world No 1 Zhou joined the Hong Kong team early last year in hope of competing at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Zhou was struggling with injury before her move but showed strong signs of regaining past form in early 2008.

She has so far grabbed two wins and one runner-up finish at the India Grand Prix, Korea Super Series and Singapore Super Series respectively.

Wang is also a former Chinese national player but fell out with the team in 1999 when she was dropped from China's Uber Cup line-ups.

Wang won the women's singles title at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha when she represented Hong Kong, knocking out China's world No 1 Xie in the quarterfinals.

Wang has been the nemisis of Chinese aces on frequent occasions.

Apart from the Doha win, she also beat Olympic champion Zhang Ning on her way to the 2007 World Championships final.

"Among all the overseas Chinese, Wang is the most dangerous one to us," said Li Yongbo.

On the men's side, seldom do overseas Chinese challenge world No 1 Lin Dan.

But Li Mao, the South Korean team's Chinese coach, might have some something to say about that.

Li left China's national team in 1998 after a row with current head coach Li Yongbo and joined South Korea, where he developed a number of world-class singles players.

But Li left for Malaysia after the Athens Olympics and again produced one of the world's best shuttlers in Lee Chong Wei, now a genuine title contender for the Beijing Games.

Li made a sudden return to South Korea last year and his first coaching highlight was January's Korea Open Super Series final.

His student Lee Hyun-il defeated Lin Dan to win the tournament, while Li himself was involved in an on-court clash with Lin, in which both exchanged verbal abuse before Lin tried to throw his racket at Li.