MLB opening development center in China

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball is opening a development center in China.

The center for boys from ages 12 to 18 is to open on Wednesday at Dongbeitang High School in Wuxi, which is in the Xishan District of eastern China on the Yangtze River. The center will provide baseball training and English lessons.

Bob DuPuy, MLB's chief operating officer, planned to attend the opening.

"One of the chief goals of Major League Baseball in China is increasing the popularity and participation of the game of baseball among young athletes," he said in a statement. "The establishment of the MLB Development Center demonstrates Major League Baseball's commitment to expand the sport in China."

The center can accommodate more than 100 players.

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