WUHAN, Hubei province - Despite his country's great rivalry with China on the basketball court, Justin Lee, the South Korea-based Hanwha Solar Group's chief commercial officer, will be supporting the host if the teams meet at the 26th FIBA Asian Championship in Wuhan.

"Actually, I hope China wins this time (if it meets South Korea)," Lee said during a conference to announce Hanwha Solar's exclusive partnership with the organizing committee of the Wuhan tournament on Friday.

"Although I am a Korean, we launched our marketing of basketball here. So I will support China in Wuhan," said Lee.

As China's long-term archrival in Asia, South Korea has given Team China some tough battles at several major Asian events.

South Korea's first challenge to China's dominance came in 1997 when it stunned its rival, 86-72, in the semifinals of the Riyadh Asian Championship.

The most painful lesson came in the final at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, where the host beat China, 102-100, with a barrage of 3-pointers in the last couple of minutes. It also trounced China, 91-59, at the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong.

South Korea and the rising Iranian squad are out to scuttle China's bid for glory on its home court.

However, even if that happens, Hanwha Solar is still upbeat about the game's foundation in China and is determined to invest more into basketball while promoting healthy lifestyles through its environmentally friendly energy solutions.

"Basketball is the No 1 sport in China and many young people are taking part in it. By being an exclusive sponsor, Hanwha wishes to further support the development of Asian basketball," said Lee.

One of the world's top 500 companies, Hanwha opened a new chapter of its global sports marketing business by signing sponsorship deals with Bundesliga club Hamburger SV and English Premier League team Bolton last month.

China Daily