Q: Arsenal tied Chinese team Hangzhou Greentown 1-1 in the club's first China Tour last year. What are your expectations of the match with Man City this time around?

A: There will be players of exceptional quality on both teams and I hope the match will be a great spectacle for our supporters in Beijing.

Manchester City is a team we know very well, of course. They have top players in every position and they are Premier League champions, so we know that they will provide us with a very good test. We beat each other 1-0 at home in the league last year, so it will be well balanced, and we both like to play football, so it should be a good game.

Both sides will be working towards the start of the season on Aug 18, so I cannot guarantee that the game will be played at absolute Premier League pace, but it will be competitive and I hope it will be an exciting night for fans that don't normally have the opportunity to see their team play live.

Q: Any special memories from your visit to Hangzhou last summer? What do you like the most about China?

A: The reception we received last year from supporters in Hangzhou was very special. It seemed football — like China — was booming when we were there, and the passion and the knowledge that supporters had of the Premier League and of Arsenal surprised me, I must say. You'd meet fans and they'd know every minute detail. Iit was incredible - I had a press conference at Hangzhou and people in the room knew more about Arsenal than I did. It showed how good the communication of information is, that it can permeate to that level. Overall it was a very positive trip and of course we're happy to be following it up with another visit this year.

Q: What other activities will you have in Beijing besides the match itself?

A: Well, we will have a very busy couple of days planned, I can assure you. Like in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, we will be looking to engage as much as possible with our supporters in Beijing. They watch the team play on TV at all hours of the night and show remarkable dedication, so we want to show that we are appreciative of that by meeting as many fans as possible.

We have fan parties organized and some big events planned with our tour partners, Nike and Emirates. I will also be taking part in some speaking events. So we are trying to make the most of our time - to give something back to supporters, and to spread the message of our club and its values as widely as we can. It will be a fantastic trip, that is for sure.

Q: Based on the match against Hangzhou last year, what are your thoughts on the competitive level and quality of the Chinese Super League?

A: My thought is that it is competitive, but that it has the potential to go much further.

Last year's game with Hangzhou Greentown was played at a good intensity. They defended very well and made it hard for us, in the first half especially. We were able to dominate in the second half of the game but the score was 1-1, so you must say it was a good test for us. And they finished this season in eighth position, so it shows there is quality in depth in the Super League.

The China league is now at a similar stage to where the Japan league was when I was there in 1994 (as manager of Nagoya Grampus Eight). Then, Japan was in its third year of professional football and it is similar in China now — it has not gone far enough yet.

Q: Chinese clubs are becoming ambitious in buying world-class players and managers such as Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Marcello Lippi. Do you think it is the right way to raise the quality and profile of Chinese football?

A: To make a sport popular you need the elite, so you can understand the motivation for bringing high-profile figures into the league. What is important is what happens next.

The elite can give the appetite to the others to play, but after you need to support that and have the coaches to create the practice in the younger generations.

My advice would be more to educate players. Why? Because if you are a developed country it means you have manager material in your country.

That is the real problem, and that is just down to education and grassroots football.

My advice to Chinese football is more to structure the coaching system between five and 12 years old because football is a technical sport and you need to have access to technique at a very early age.

After 12 years of age, if you have no technique then you will never have it. That is very important and that goes through the schools and the football clubs.

Usually, sport follows the economic power, and the economic power is moving at the moment from Europe to China and Brazil. These countries, if they have the desire, they will have the players. The history is in Europe - but how long can we resist the power of China if they really want to develop football? The future will tell.

Q: Is Arsenal in talks with other Chinese football clubs, and the sports authority, about future cooperation? For example youth development, player exchange programs, etc?

A: We believe that we can make a positive contribution to football in China, yes. The way we play football, the way we develop players and the way the club is managed, we are confident that we can form some constructive relationships here. We are speaking to certain people about how we can do that. But it is still early and I do not have too many concrete details on this for the moment.

Q: How do you see the potential of the Chinese market for Arsenal? Do you have any long-term plans in China? What are your thoughts on building the Arsenal fan base in China?

A: China is a very important market for the club. The Premier League has grown massively in popularity, and Arsenal now has a big name here. We need to make the most of that opportunity — to reach out to fans and make sure that they feel part of the club. That is what we try to do, and why we visit for a second year in a row.