Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, has confirmed the club will play its first match in China this summer.

The Premier League club will face Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, the Chinese super league team, on July 23 as part of its pre-season tour of Asia. Chelsea hope the game, which will be played in the Olympic Stadium in Guangzhou, will enhance their reputation in China as the club looks to develop its fan-base in the Far East.

"We have a lot of support here [China] and now we can give our Chinese fans the opportunity to see us play," Kenyon said. "Chinese football is developing at a rapid pace and Chelsea wants to play a role in that."

He added: “I am delighted that we are coming to China, and particularly to Guangzhou, for the first time. We have a lot of support here and now we can give our Chinese fans the opportunity to see us play.

"Chinese football is developing at a rapid pace and Chelsea wants to play a role in that. We are a major partner in the Vision China grass roots project and are committed to making that a success."

However, in the wake of the announcement, Amnesty International has urged Chelsea to not to ignore China's human rights record when they visit the country.

"If Chelsea Football Club really want to build a lasting legacy in China they should address the issue of human rights head on when they are there," Tim Hancock, campaigns director of Amnesty, said. "If Chelsea go ahead with their plans to play a pre-season friendly in China, they should go with their eyes open.

"China's human rights record is appalling in areas like free speech, fair trials and the extensive use of the death penalty. The reality is that people in China cannot speak out without fear of reprisal so it's up to others to do so for them."

The call comes on the same day that the Malaysian Football Association were forced to guarantee that Avram Grant and Tal Ben Haim would be allowed into the country, which has no diplomatic ties with Israel, for another pre-season match in Kuala Lumpur on July 29.