BEIJING - Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho arrived in Beijing on Saturday morning to assume his new post as coach of the Chinese national soccer team.

Surrounded by local media at the Beijing Capital International Airport, the 56-year-old kept a low profile and declined to elaborate on his plans for the team.

"We are happy to be here. My (coaching) team and I are proud to join the Chinese national squad. Our goal for the moment is to try to qualify for the World Cup finals in Brazil. But we have a long-term plan for the future," said Camacho, who also said "Hello, China" in Chinese.

Camacho arrived with a staff that included an assisting coach, a physical therapist and a technical analyst.

After a year of assessment, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) chose the former Spain and Real Madrid coach to steer the men's senior team with less than three weeks to go before its qualifying Group A opener against Singapore on Sept 2.

During an earlier interview, Yu Hongchen, vice-director of the Chinese Football Administration Center, told Xinhua the appointment of Camacho as China's new coach was part of the country's long-term revival blueprint.

"Even if he cannot take the team to the World Cup finals, he will not lose the job," said Yu.

The CFA will sign a three-year contract with Camacho and the Spaniard is also expected to forge a suitable playing style for the national side and also help improve China's youth training system.

Camacho will be officially presented by the CFA at a press conference on Sunday morning.As the seeded team, China is pooled with Jordan, Iraq and Singapore in Group A.The top two teams of the group will advance to the next stage, with 10 teams to be divided into two groups to fight for four direct qualifying spots.

The two third-placed sides will face off, with the winner taking on the fifth-placed team from South America.

Xinhua