China aims to be soccer power by 2050

The Chinese government wants China to be a world soccer power by 2050, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to a new plan published Monday, China aims to score a place among Asia’s finest by 2030, before making “an all-out effort” to become “a top-quality soccer power” in the subsequent two decades. The paper also calls for more grassroots tournaments and soccer fields, with the aim of providing at least one playing field for every 10,000 people by 2030. At the professional level, government planners say China should cultivate at least two to three soccer clubs that rank among Asia’s elite.