A cultural exchange event was held on Tuesday at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, to commemorate the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy. The event was jointly organized by China Media Group (CMG), the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and co-hosted by the U.S.–China Youth and Student Exchange Association. Nearly 500 guests participated in the event.

China Media Group (CMG) President Shen Haixiong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Yang Wanming, and Chinese Table Tennis Association President Wang Liqin delivered video addresses.

Zhang Jianmin, consul general of China in San Francisco, and Connie Sweeris, a former member of the U.S. table tennis team and a firsthand witness to Ping-Pong Diplomacy, attended the event and delivered speeches.

China Media Group (CMG) President Shen Haixiong noted that 55 years ago, a small ping-pong ball opened the door to mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the United States, creating the remarkable story of "a small ball moving the big ball." Ten years ago, during his visit to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged American youth at Lincoln High School to travel more in China, bringing renewed confidence and momentum to China-U.S. friendship. 

Shen said the friendship between China and the United States depends on strong people-to-people exchanges, which are rooted in mutual understanding. The hope of China-U.S. relations lies in the people, and its future rests with the youth, Shen said. He encouraged people to work together to write a new and remarkable chapter in people-to-people exchanges in the new era.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" 55 years ago unlocked the pathway to friendly exchanges between people from the two countries and ultimately the development of bilateral relations. That spirit is now being renewed through new forms such as pickleball diplomacy and basketball diplomacy. More than 40,000 young Americans, including students from Lincoln High School, have visited China for exchanges and studies under the "50,000 in five years" initiative, and become envoys of goodwill across the Pacific.

Xie expressed hope that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and the United States will move step by step to turn the shared vision for bilateral relations into a win-win reality, bringing more tangible benefits to both peoples and injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world.

Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that as President Xi Jinping has noted, although a ping-pong ball is small, its significance for China–U.S. relations is profound. He noted that the strategic vision, political courage, and people-to-people friendship embodied in Ping-Pong Diplomacy deserve to be carried forward and further strengthened. He also highlighted the long-standing ties between Tacoma and China, saying they demonstrate that no matter how China–U.S. relations may evolve, the global trend toward peace and cooperation will not change, nor will the desire of the Chinese and American peoples for mutual understanding and exchange.

Zhang Jianmin, consul general of China in San Francisco, recounted the historic significance of the events 55 years ago, when a "small ball moved the big ball," breaking the ice between China and the US and opening the door to people-to-people exchanges. He encouraged all parties to draw wisdom from the spirit of "Friendship First, Competition Second," and guided by Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision that "the hope of China-U.S. relationship lies in the people," to continue actively supporting and participating in people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

Chinese Table Tennis Association President Wang Liqin said that 55 years ago, a friendly interaction between the Chinese and American table tennis teams helped usher in an important chapter in the development of China–U.S. relations. He said that the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the Chinese national table tennis team will continue to carry forward the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, promote exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States in the field of sports, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples through table tennis, a shared language.

Connie Sweeris, a former member of the U.S. table tennis team and a firsthand witness to Ping-Pong Diplomacy, said that the experience she had 55 years ago remains vivid in her memory, and that she is honored to have contributed to China–U.S. relations through Ping-Pong Diplomacy. She added that everyone has the opportunity to become an ambassador for people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China.

At the event, guests took part in a friendship match on the ping-pong table presented to Lincoln High School during President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States in 2015, and watched a commemorative video produced by CMG marking the 55th anniversary of China–U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy. Participants expressed hope that the tradition of Ping-Pong Diplomacy will continue to be carried forward, contributing to deeper friendship and greater mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the United States.