China B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the China national football team.

There was no obvious age or skill difference between the A and B teams.

Coaches include Zhang Jingtian, Ha Zengguang, Fang Renqiu and Chen Fulai,[2] Chinese Football Association organised a China B team in 1981 with the name of China Hope in order to provide more international experiences for the young talents of the league.

In 1984 another B team was established, coached by Zhang Jingtian.

In the same year FIFA and IOC agreed to limit soccer players participating in the Olympics to be under 23, and the China B was rebranded as the China national under-23 football team.