The Chinese Football Association (CFA) had met with the United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAEFA) in their headquarters in Al-Khawaneej, Dubai on Monday with the aim of "strengthening the ties" between the two nations' football governing bodies.

CFA first vice-president Zhang Jian led the Chinese delegation during their visit while UAEFA president Marwan bin Ghalita headed the welcoming committee in the UAE. The meeting was the first by the two governing bodies since bin Ghalita was elected as the new UAEFA chief, replacing former president Yousuf Al Serkal in April.

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The two representatives said to have discussed "the possibility of greater cooperation" between the two sides moving forward, as per Sport 360.

"I am delighted with the visit and can only praise the excellent relations between the two unions," said bin Ghalita. "There are many links between us on a continental and global level."

The national teams of both countries are drawn in separate brackets in the upcoming third and final round of AFC 2018 World Cup qualifiers this September with China PR in Group A while the White Jersey placed in Group B.

Two clubs each from China and UAE are also going to represent their respective countries in the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2016 AFC Champions League next week.

Chinese Super League squads Shanghai SIPG FC and Shandong Luneng Taishan FC, who are bracketed in the East Zone, are from China while UAE Pro-League team Al Ain FC and UAE Arabian Gulf League club Al-Nasr Dubai SC are in the West Zone.

If everything goes well for the said four clubs, then China and UAE may meet in the two-match final in November.

Meanwhile, Gulf News reported that the UAEFA had recently launched the "Together We Can" campaign, a social media initiative that is aimed to draw support for the UAE national football team during their World Cup qualifying stint next month.

The project is calling all UAE supporters to interact on social media using the hashtag #Together_We_Can as a show of support for the White Jersey.

UAE is set to open the final round of World Cup qualifiers against the Japanese national team on Sep. 1 at the Saitama Stadium 2002 in Japan.

TagsChina Football, China Football News, China football news 2016, Chinese Football Association, United Arab Emirates Football Association