51st Anniversary of US-China “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” Held in Los Angeles

LAPost/Los Angeles (December 20, 2022) – The dinner commemorating the 51st anniversary of China-US “ping-pong diplomacy” was held in City of Industry on the 20th, co-hosted by the American Table Tennis Association, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Southern California Federation of Chinese and Overseas Chinese. Zhang Ping, the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, Gene Sykes, the newly elected President of the US Olympic Committee, and Petra Sörling, President of the ITTF, delivered speeches at the dinner successively. 

Edward Cai President of the Chinese Federation of Overseas Chinese in Southern California, Dell Sweeris and Connie Sweeris, American athletes who participated in “ping pong diplomacy” in person, Richard Char, chairman of the US Table Tennis Association, and Virginia Sung, CEO of the US Table Tennis Association. Nearly 500 people from the U.S. National Table Tennis Team participating in the U.S. Table Tennis Open in California and local people from all walks of life attended the dinner.

Virgina Sung, member of the United States Olympic Committee and CEO of the United States Table Tennis Association, said in her speech: “This is one of the 7 Ping-Pong Diplomacy events that took place across America this year. We’ve all been inspired by the stories of our legends , politicians, successful business persons, and Olympians. We are also touched by ordinary people who have shared their stories and how this historic event impacted their lives and perceptions.”

“Tonight, as we celebrate the 51st anniversary of PPD, we’re reminded enduring values of friendship and sportsmanship. Though we are from different cultures and may embrace different philosophies, our similarities still far outweigh our differences and diplomacy always gives us the opportunity to find common ground. much contribute to enhance our collective sense of unity with one another and be a diplomat in our daily lives to meet people whoever they are and wherever they are. I am very proud that our sport can be the platform to bring people together, in spire the community among us, and provide us all with a sense of belonging and hope. Again, welcome everyone, and thank you for being here with us tonight.”

Zhang Ping, the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles who participated in the last public event before leaving office, said in his speech that for Sino-US relations, table tennis is not only a sport, but also a symbol of friendship and the epitome of diplomatic wisdom. Over the past 51 years, the spirit of “ping-pong diplomacy” has been passed down from generation to generation, injecting a source of impetus into the development of Sino-US relations and the exchanges between the two peoples, benefiting the people of the two countries and the world.

Gene Sykes, Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said in his speech that he just met the President of the Chinese Olympic Committee in Switzerland a few days ago. cooperate.

In her speech, Petra Sörling, President of the International Table Tennis Federation, also emphasized the enlightenment brought by “ping-pong diplomacy” to promote peace and friendship among mankind. She said that she paid tribute to the athletes who participated in the “ping pong diplomacy”. Table tennis has become a vehicle for promoting dialogue and enhancing friendship.

The organizer of the commemorative event, Cai Chenghua, president of the Southern California Chinese and Overseas Chinese Federation who participated in supporting the just-concluded US Table Tennis Open, said in his thank-you speech that he is committed to promoting the popularization and development of table tennis in the United States and bringing it to both countries. interaction between the people of the two countries, and build a broader friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

Richard Char (Left), Chairman of the US Table Tennis Association with Dell Sweeris and Connie Sweeris

American athletes Dell Sweeris and Connie Sweeris, who witnessed the “ping pong diplomacy” between China and the United States, recalled the scenes and dialogues when they were received by Premier Zhou Enlai when they visited China.

California State assembly member Mike Fang (Left 2) with Sophia Li (Right 3) and Charlie Zhang (Right 2)

Before the event started, the documentaries of the US table tennis delegation’s visit to China in 1971 and the Chinese table tennis delegation’s visit to the United States in 1972 were played to relive this historical story.

Commemorating and reviewing the unforgettable journey of Sino-US “ping-pong diplomacy” 51 years ago, reviewing the historical story of “a small ball turning a big ball”, at the same time, how to use people-to-people diplomacy to push the current Sino-US relations back on track is also a question for overseas Chinese and Chinese A new topic of the community, with the fading out of the old generation of Chinese old friends, there is an urgent need for a group of new friends who understand cultural differences and are proficient in different discourse systems. Let people-to-people exchanges and people-to-people exchanges continue to add vitality to the development of Sino-US relations.