Chinese food company Wahaha Group Co Ltd said on Wednesday it will enter a partnership with the English Premier League soccer club Manchester United.

The three-year deal, which was signed on Tuesday night, will see the popular drinks brand become the club's first official soft drinks partner in China, according to Wahaha's website.

"This is the club's first sponsorship of its kind in China and we are delighted to be able to work with a company which, like Manchester United, is dedicated to innovation and leadership in its field," said the team's commercial director, Richard Arnold, on its website. "What better way to endorse this modern-day success story than to partner with the number one club in the world's biggest sport?"

In November 2012, the soft drinks giant opened its first department store in East China's Hangzhou city.

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