By He Yin, People’s Daily
Veteran participants of China-U.S. “ping-pong diplomacy,” now well over seventy years of age, have returned to China, passing on to a younger generation the torch of friendship lit by the “little ball” that helped set the “big ball” of China-U.S. relations in motion.
Today, that tradition continues on the pickleball courts, where young Chinese and American players are forging new bonds. Embodying the ethos of “sportsmanship before victory,” they are proving that shared passion can transcend borders.
From table tennis, which helped open the door to China-U.S. exchanges 55 years ago, to pickleball, now increasingly popular among young people in both countries, this passing of the “little ball” from one generation to the next over more than half a century vividly demonstrates the enduring vitality of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States and the deep, lasting friendship between the two peoples.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. “ping-pong diplomacy.” In 1971, a modest table tennis match shattered years of diplomatic isolation, reopening channels of communication and laying the groundwork for normalized relations. The event remains a landmark moment in modern diplomatic history.
Over the decades, numerous initiatives have deepened mutual understanding. Pioneering cultural missions, including performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, helped lay the foundation for sustained artistic exchange. Meanwhile, the historic Kuliang friendship keeps alive a people-to-people friendship spanning a century. Together, these efforts have woven a rich tapestry of shared experiences.
In the new era, the spirit of engagement embodied in “ping-pong diplomacy,” which brought the Chinese and American peoples closer together, is taking on new forms and gaining new vitality.
Games like pickleball, known for their accessibility and social nature, effortlessly bridge linguistic, cultural, and geographical divides. For young Chinese and American athletes meeting for the first time, the court becomes a space for mutual learning, teamwork, and genuine connection.
These interactions reaffirm a fundamental truth: sustained people-to-people ties remain the bedrock of resilient China-U.S. relations, providing the trust necessary to navigate challenges and steer bilateral engagement forward.
Strong interpersonal connections are essential to stable diplomatic relations. Looking to the long-term development of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, in San Francisco in 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in a five-year span.
In just over two years, the number of young Americans who have visited China for exchanges has surpassed 50,000, achieving the target ahead of schedule. Driven by the initiative, a growing wave of American youth are traveling to China to explore its landscapes, engage with emerging technologies, and experience daily life firsthand.
By witnessing China’s developments directly, these visitors are moving beyond media narratives and algorithmic echo chambers, replacing stereotypes with nuanced, personal insights about mutual potential as partners and friends.
Many returnees have taken to social media to share their journeys, offering unfiltered perspectives to audiences back home. Their posts highlight how China’s rich heritage coexists with rapid innovation, while emphasizing the warmth, hospitality, and openness of its people.
As young Chinese and American travelers continue to bridging vast distances, they are planting seeds of mutual respect and shared curiosity. With time and cultivation, these connections will take root, fostering a more resilient, pragmatic, and constructive future for China-U.S.relations.
Today, China-U.S. relations once again stand at a critical juncture in history, and the strategic choices made by the two countries will once again shape the course of the world.
By making friends and competing within the rules on the pickleball court, young people from China and the United States are offering valuable lessons for the two countries on how to interact with each other.
Just as players on the court must follow the rules, China and the United States must coexist peacefully on this planet and refrain from crossing red lines or overstepping boundaries on issues concerning each other’s core interests.
And just as athletes improve through learning from and competing with one another, China and the United States should explore ways to expand areas of cooperation and do more things that benefit both countries and the wider world.
In recent years, young people from China and the United States have worked side by side aboard research vessels to unlock the mysteries of the ocean and joined forces at maker competitions to explore solutions to global challenges, demonstrating through action the enormous potential for cooperation between the two countries.
Looking ahead, the steady and sustained development of the “big ball” of China-U.S. relations will continue to depend on countless “little balls” of people-to-people friendship. People from all sectors of both countries, especially the younger generation, should draw wisdom and strength from history, get to know and grow closer to each other through exchanges and cooperation, and move forward together by learning from one another. By strengthening the bonds of friendship, they can make new contributions to stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relations.
A small ball can connect people across mountains and seas; a bond of friendship can transcend time and space.
Just as pickleball draws on the strengths of several sports, the vast planet we share has ample room for China and the United States to pursue their respective development and achieve common prosperity, and for different civilizations to complement and enrich one another.
China remains committed to expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges with the United States, writing a new chapter of friendship between the two peoples, and injecting a steady stream of people-to-people strength into building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.
