China joins powerhouse cast in FIBA Asia

China joined an Asian basketball powerhouse cast in Thursday's random draw for 16 countries and regions vying for the 27th FIBA-Asia Championship that will be held in Manila in August. The official draw, which was held in Manila Hotel and facilitated by officials of FIBA-Asia and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines), has put China, South Korea, Iran and the second placer in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) tournament that will be held in Indonesia on June 20-23 in Group C. Group C was widely perceived as the "Group of Death" as it is composed of top basketball teams in the region. Iran and China won the FIBA Asia champioonship in 2009 and 2011, respectively. South Korea has always been a strong contender for the championship. The Philippines, which will be hosting the international match, was given the privilege to choose which group it will join. The Smart Gilas national basketball team has selected Group A, joining Jordan, Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia. Group B consists of Japan, Qatar, Lebanon and Hong Kong, China while Kazakhstan, India, Bahrain and SEABA's first placer are in Group D. The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship is a biennial tournament organized by the Kuala Lumpur-based Asian branch of the Federation Internationale de Basket-ball. This year's FIBA Asia that serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.