The two-time Olympic silver medallist overcame his arch-rival 21-17, 15-21, 21-13 after 82 minutes to regain the title he won in 2006.

Chen, the two-time reigning world champion, pulled himself back into the match after losing the first game but was outdone in the decider as he suffered a fourth consecutive defeat at the hands of his Malaysian opponent.

"The critical period was after the change of ends in the third game," said Lee.

"I scored a few quick points and that gave me a lot of confidence.

"I’ve beaten Chen four times in a row now, but that doesn’t mean I’m the favourite for the Olympics.

"A lot of things will count in Rio - your mindset, your physical ability.

"My career is close to its end and I want to enjoy the game as much as possible."

The women’s singles final saw Wang Yihan beat Olympic champion Li Xuerui 21-14, 13-21, 21-16 in an all-Chinese encounter.

Victory earned Wang her third Asian Championship crown and first major title since triumphing at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, where she beat Li in the gold medal match.

Her only title since then came at last year’s Chinese Taipei Open, again at the expense of Li.

There was further success for the hosts in the mixed doubles as number one seeds Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei beat defending champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia 16-21, 21-9, 21-17 in the final.

The result gave the Chinese pair their 13th win in 18 encounters against the Indonesians and eighth in a row.

China didn’t have it all their own way though with Liu Yuchen and Li Junhui eventually succumbing to a 14-21, 26-28 defeat at the hands of men’s doubles top seeds Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong of South Korea after saving seven match points.

Japan’s Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao had to overcome compatriots Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the women’s doubles final to qualify for Rio 2016, but they suffered a 13-21, 15-21 loss.

At the European Championships in La Roche sur Yon in France, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen left defending champion and top seed Jan Ø. Jørgensen stunned after registering a 21-11, 21-16 win over his fellow countryman in the final.

Spain’s Carolina Marin justified her top seeding in the women’s singles and retained her title by overcoming Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour 21-12, 21-18 in their showdown.

Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen won 19-21, 21-13, 21-17 in an all-Danish mixed doubles final against Niclas Nohr and Sara Thygesen.

There were also success for Pedersen in the women's doubles final as she and Kamilla Rytter Juhl defeated The Netherlands' Selena Piek and Eefje Muskens 21-18, 21-17.

The men's doubles final, another all-Danish contest, went the way of Mads Conrad-Pet and Mads Piele Kolding after they came from behind to overcome Kim Astrup and Anders Ska Rasmussen 14-21, 21-18, 21-13.