Players of China U16 men's football team train for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U16 Championship in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, May 25, 2020. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

HAIKOU - China's Under-16 national football team has started training in the country's southern city of Haikou, Hainan province, to prepare for the upcoming 2020 AFC Under-16 Championship in Bahrain.

Head coach Antonio Puche Vicente said on Monday that this stage of training is to improve the strength and speed of the players.

After this period of training, I am happy to see that our players know their duty and position on the pitch

Antonio Puche Vicente, Head coach, China U16 men's football team

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"After this period of training, I am happy to see that our players know their duty and position on the pitch," he said.

"Apart from regular practice, we also planned to have six warm-up games with the Hainan youth football team," the head coach added. "We hope to strengthen the training of players' body-confrontation through real games."

This is the team's second training camp from May 11 to June 10. They will move to north China's Shandong province for the next camp.

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The 2020 AFC U-16 Championship will take place in Bahrain from September 16 to October 3, 2020. The top four teams will advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2021.

"Our goal is to take a berth in next year's U-17 World Cup," vowed team manager and former Chinese international midfielder Shao Jiayi.

Goalkeeper Chen Xing (R) of China U16 men's soccer team trains for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U16 Championship in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, May 25, 2020. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

Players of China U16 men's football team train for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U16 Championship in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, May 25, 2020. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)

Antonio Puche Vicente (R), the head coach of China U16 men's football team, receives an interview after the training for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U16 Championship in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, May 25, 2020. (PU XIAOXU / XINHUA)