Commemoration for anniversary of China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy"

A ceremony commemorating the 48th anniversary of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" was held on Wednesday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda in California.

Errol Resek (left), who took part in the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy", plays a game at the commemoration with Gao Jun (right), who is a former world champion and member of China's national ping-pong team, and the current coach of United States Ping Pong Team. The pair faced off in Yorba Linda, California on Wednesday, April 10, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

Hosted by the American Chinese Athlete Association, "The 48th Anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy & the 40th Anniversary of U.S.-China Relations" event attracted hundreds of sports champions, community leaders, and Chinese and American officials.

Forty-eight years ago, the United States Ping Pong team visited to China on April 10. The following year, a group of world ping-pong champions from China paid a return visit to the United States. Relations between the two countries were gradually normalized in part thanks to this "Ping-Pong Diplomacy", creating a new chapter in their bilateral relations.

"As a famous metaphor says, 'the little ball moved the big ball,'" said Shi Yuanqiang, China's deputy consul general in Los Angeles, noting that the historic "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" not only shortened the distance between the Chinese and American people, but also acted as the prelude for the normalization of China-U.S. relations.

The choice of the Nixon Library as the venue for the commemoration was made to reflect President Nixon's leading role in normalizing relations with China with his historic visit to the country in 1972 after the two-way ping-pong team visits.

"I wish today's event a complete success and further growing of the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and American people," Shi said in his speech.

Peter Gao, the founder and president of the American Chinese Athlete Association, called for more sports and cultural exchanges between China and the United States. "Sports form a significant and valuable common bond among societies and open an important international communication channel," said Gao. "The ability of sports to bring people together is part of the reason 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy' works," he said, noting that sportsmanship breaks down the language barrier.

Errol Resek was a participant in the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy". He played a game at the commemoration with Gao Jun, a former world champion and member of China's national ping-pong team. Gao is the current coach of United States Ping Pong Team. In 1971, Resek was the youngest player on the American team. "I love ping-pong, it's the sport of my life... I love Chinese, my trip to China is awesome and unbelievable," he said, adding that he hopes to visit China again in near future.

The American Chinese Athlete Association was established in 2015 in Los Angeles. It's a non-profit organization with a membership of nearly 100 professional athletes, including 55 at the international level and 33 at the national level.