China to host Asian baseball championship

FUZHOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Asian Baseball Championship will be held in Pingtan of southeast China's Fujian Province from September 22 to 28 with the participation of eight teams, organizers announced on Friday.

The championship will feature Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Hong Kong of China, Pakistan, Palestine and host China.

Twenty-time winner Japan, 2023 semifinalist South Korea and Chinese Taipei, winner in 2019 and runner-up in 2023, are favorites in this year's championship, whose winner will qualify for the U-23 Baseball World Cup in 2026.