China will feature twice on the European Tour this year with the China Open making its first appearance on the schedule this November, the tour announced on Tuesday.

The 10th China Open, jointly sanctioned by the Asian PGA Tour and European Tour, will be played at Shanghai Silport Golf Club from November 25-28 as the opening event of the 2005 European Tour.

Already slotted in on the 2004 European Tour schedule is the Asian Open, to be staged at Tomson Golf Club in Shanghai from May 13-16.

"We are delighted that China's national open championship, that has been so well supported by Volvo for 10 years, will be the opening event to our 2005 season," European Tour deputy executive director George O'Grady said in a statement.

"Seeing the way China's economy is moving forward, I am sure the Volvo China Open will become a landmark fixture in future European Tour schedules."

The inaugural China Open was won by Paraguay's Raul Fretes at Beijing International Golf Club in 1995. Silport has staged the event for the last five years, with local player Zhang Lian-Wei winning last year's title