Legendary Chinese golfer Zhang Lianwei tees off at the inaugural edition of the Royal Trophy in 2006 (COURTEST OF ROYAL TROPHY)

The seventh edition of the Royal Trophy, an annual match-play men's golf tournament between Europe and Asia, will be held December 20-22, 2013 at the 54-hole Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province.

The Asian Team will be led by Captain Y.E. Yang of Korea and Vice Captain Zhang Lianwei of China, with the European team being headed by Captain José Maria Olazábal, who lead the European team to victory at the 2012 Ryder Cup and also led the Royal Trophy European team in 2012.

As the first Chinese golfer to play at the Masters and the winner of 13 professional career titles, Zhang Lianwei is widely recognized as the country's first golfer to be successful on the international professional circuit and as such is considered an ambassador for the sport in China. With the Royal Trophy tee-off date approaching, Zhang shared his insights on the competition and his details of his appointment as Asian Team vice captain.

Beijing Review: How do you feel about your role as vice captain of the Asian Team for this year's Royal Trophy?

Zhang Lianwei: I am honored to have been chosen and I also feel a tremendous sense of responsibility.

This is the first time the Royal Trophy will be hosted by China, making it a historic event for Chinese golf. As a native of Guangdong Province and I am also very familiar with the course. This will be a momentous occasion for golf in China and I am delighted to lead the Asian Team together with Y.E. Yang.

As vice captain, my focus will be in supporting our players, encouraging them, motivating them and helping them play to the very best of their ability. I will be working closely Y.E. Yang to achieve this.

Yang is a fantastic golfer and he has a wealth of experience. I am confident that we will help make a strong Asian Team this year.

However, we can not take anything for granted. Europe has a very rich golfing history and an incredible selection of players. We will have to play the best we can to defeat them and we will have to do everything to maximize our strategic opportunities as well.

We are committed to do everything possible to produce the best golf performance we can from the Asian Team and to defend the trophy for Asia. It will be a fantastic competition and it may come down to which team has 'the biggest heart', the strongest fighting spirit and the most unrelenting determination to win.

The Royal Trophy is the only competition that brings all of Asia together to play as one. How does it feel to represent a united Asia?

It is amazing. The Royal Trophy is a unique competition as it puts the continents of Asia and Europe against one another. The tournament generates an immense sense competition, passion and emotion; and it is extremely meaningful for all of us playing whether we are captains, vice captains or players. We are representing our people and are competing for our respective continents and nations. I am very proud to act as vice captain for Asia and to carry the Chinese flag within the Asian Team.

We have a very strong lineup for the Asian Team for this upcoming edition of the Royal Trophy. Liang Wenchong will be an important player and we expect him to enjoy fantastic support from the galleries in China. K.T. Kim is bringing confidence from having made an incredible winning putt in Brunei, securing our victory last year. Hideki Matsuyama is playing outstanding golf with great results all over the world in his first year as a professional and Hiroyuki Fujita won the Japan Tour Order of Merit last year. We have four more players to select but I believe this will be the strongest Asian Team in the history of the Royal Trophy.

Are you confident that Asia will win and retain the Royal Trophy?

Yes, we will battle hard and we will fight for every point with determination. It does not really matter who the Europeans bring to play against us as we will defeat them in China. We have the home advantage and this is our time.

I call on all Chinese fans to come to Dragon Lake Golf Club and support the Asian Team. In team golf the support of the galleries makes a huge difference and we need the contribution of the fans and spectators.