『pīng pāng wài jiāo乒乓外交』55zhōu nián周年：yòng用xiǎo qiú小球lián jiē连接zhōng中měi美yǒu yì友谊
On April 10, 2026, China and the United States jointly commemorated an important event in Beijing: the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. “ping-pong diplomacy.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a special congratulatory letter for the event.
“Ping-pong diplomacy” began in 1971.
At that time, American table tennis players were invited to visit China, ending more than 20 years of no contact between the two countries.
People often use the phrase “a small ball moves a big ball” to describe this event.
Although table tennis is small, it was like a key that opened the door to friendly exchanges between China and the United States.
At the commemorative event, Judy, one of the American players from that time, also attended.
Judy is now 70 years old. When she first came to China 55 years ago, she was only 15 and was the youngest member of the delegation.
She said that although a long time has passed, she still remembers playing and talking with Chinese athletes back then.
That friendship came from the heart.
In addition to the older generation of athletes, there were also many energetic young people at the event.
They not only played table tennis, but also played rugby together.
A student from Peking University said that although everyone came from different countries and studied different majors, their love of sports quickly made them good friends.
In his letter, President Xi mentioned that the future of China-U.S. relations depends on young people creating it.
At present, China is carrying out a plan to invite 50,000 American teenagers to visit China for exchanges over the next five years.
More and more American students are coming to China to learn Chinese and understand real Chinese culture.
Sports are not only competition, but also a language that crosses cultures.
Through every handshake and every high-five, understanding between the people of the two countries is growing.
Everyone hopes that the spirit of “ping-pong diplomacy” will be passed down from generation to generation, so that the friendship between China and the United States can continue to be passed along through exchanges, just like a table tennis ball.