China agree Euro deal

The partnership would see Euroleague organise training camps and bring power clubs CSKA Moscow and Benetton Treviso to play matches in China in Oct. 1-3, Euroleague said in a statement on its Web site on Thursday.

"Euroleague Basketball is looking forward to making these projects come true, and we know that there is a lot to learn from Chinese basketball," Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu said.

Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) officials said the partnership was "totally suitable".

"Drawing on the excellent resources of the Euroleague, in such areas as basketball skills and management, is very important for China as the Beijing Olympics approaches," the official China Daily quoted CBA chief, Li Yuanwei, as saying.

As part of the agreement, China will also play world champions Spain and Turkey in warm-up matches in Europe this summer, the paper said.