MOFA: Chinese, American youths continue to write chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy

China is willing to work with the U.S. to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco on promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges, carry forward the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and continue to write new chapters in the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to the recent exchanges of table tennis teams between the two countries.

The Peking University table tennis team was recently invited to visit the U.S. to participate in the U.S. Open Table Tennis championships, as well as a series of activities held by the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the U.S. to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, Mao said, adding that a table tennis team of the University of Virginia also visited China and participated in China-U.S. youth table tennis exchange activities at Tsinghua University.

The exchange of visits between China and the U.S. youth table tennis delegations continues the friendly chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and injects new strength into people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, she said.

Mao also stressed that the foundation of China-U.S. relations lies among the people, the hope is in the people, the future lies in the youth, and the vitality lies in sub-national areas.

Noting that a chance encounter between paddlers from China and the U.S. previewed the Ping-Pong Diplomacy that led to the normalization of bilateral ties 50 years ago, Mao said the more frequent exchanges between the two peoples, the more solid the public opinion foundation will be for the development of bilateral relations.

(Cover: Connie Sweeris (4th L), American table tennis champion who went on the ice-breaking trip to China in 1971, and participants from China and the U.S. take selfies during an event to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in Fremont, California, U.S., December 15, 2023. /Xinhua)