Chinese Badminton Association President Zhang Jun said in a recent interview that Team China's only goal in the upcoming Sudirman Cup is to defend their title. 

There will be 16 teams competing in the 2023 Sudirman Cup, which will kick off in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on May 14 and run till May 21. China is in Group A alongside Denmark, Singapore and Egypt, with a strong lineup, including Olympic champion Chen Yufei, world champion Shi Yuqi, and competitive pairs Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong and Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan. 

China, the biggest winner in the history of the Sudirman Cup, has topped 12 times in the past 17 editions. Zhang said in an interview with Xinhua that as the host, China will strive for the title. 

"Our goal is definitely to defend the title... there is no doubt about it."  

"Chinese players must forget about their previous wins and losses, adjust their mentality well, and not be conservative because they are the defending champions," the Chinese Badminton Association chief added.

Zhang believed the group was a good draw for China, but Chinese players must be prepared for the challenges from Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Denmark, Malaysia and Thailand in the knockout stage. 

"The opponents in this group may not be powerful, but we will definitely meet strong teams after advancing to the next phase, so we have to be prepared for the toughest in every match," Zhang said. 

According to Zhang, Chinese men's singles are currently "relatively weak," but Shi and youngster Li Shifeng are recently in good form, and they both have chances to beat Denmark's world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen. 

Meanwhile, Zhang had some concerns about women's doubles. "Our women's pair has always been No.1 in the world, but last year at the Uber Cup, they lost points... I am worried that they are carrying pressure." 

The Sudirman Cup serves as the first qualification for the Paris Olympics. Zhang said they have tried to train young players and new duos.

"The young players in the Chinese team are all very good but lack experience. So we will give them more opportunities and get them into the race for Olympic qualification," he said.

Zhang concluded that "avoiding injuries is the priority for us; the second is to increase stability in technique and reduce errors; and the third is to increase fitness." 

(With input from Xinhua)