The Perth Wildcats are negotiating a landmark deal that will bring Chinese national team guard Liu Wei - a close friend of NBA superstar Yao Ming - to the NBL club.

And a personal message from Premier Geoff Gallop to his counterpart in Shanghai has played a key role in the transfer talks.

Liu, 25, who tried out with NBA club Sacramento last year, was on Monday announced as a "wildcard" entry into next month's NBL All-Star game in Sydney.

However, Wildcats owner Andrew Vlahov revealed to The West Australian on Monday he had spent almost a year trying to secure Liu's services from top Chinese league club Shanghai Sharks and was close to an agreement.

"We are hopeful of a breakthrough development concerning Liu Wei very soon," Vlahov said.

"It has been a very big series of negotiations and we even had a letter from the Premier to the Mayor of Shanghai inviting Liu Wei to play for the Wildcats."

Although the Wildcats are keen to have Liu in their line-up as soon as possible, a deal is unlikely to be struck until after the end of the 2005-06 NBL season.

But Liu's move to WA would further strengthen the burgeoning relationship between Asian and Australian basketball. The Wildcats have already played two full NBL championship matches in Singapore and hosted a regional club series in the city last April.

The popularity of basketball is so strong in China - a phenomenon backed by the rise of Yao as a giant of the NBA - that Wildcats games are expected to be televised to millions of fans in that country just because of Liu's presence in the Perth team.

A new audience would open up lucrative sponsorship opportunities for the Wildcats, and Australian basketball, throughout Asia.

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