The mutual visits of the table tennis teams from Chinese and the US’ universities continued the friendly chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and injected new strength into the two countries’ people-to-people exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday when asked to comment on the Peking University students’ visit to the US in December 2023, followed by a trip by students from the University of Virginia to China.
The recent visit of the Peking University table tennis team to the US, commemorating the 52nd anniversary of this historic exchange, is evidence that the impact of Ping-Pong Diplomacy extends far beyond the confines of sports. The camaraderie displayed on the table tennis courts of Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles serves as a reminder of the power of sports in fostering understanding, bridging cultural gaps and promoting global harmony.
The Chinese Embassy in the US held an event recently to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, during which Xie Feng, the Chinese Ambassador to the US, called on the two sides to draw inspiration and wisdom from the decades-old event. Chinese experts believe it is not only a move intended to evoke the US memory of this friendly history, but also a reminder for Washington to show more political wisdom and take action to help bilateral relations walk out of the current stalemate.