Pickleball, a sport originated in the United States and has become increasingly popular in China in recent years, is bringing students from both countries closer together as a group of American students began an exhilarating cultural exchange centered around the game in Shanghai.
American students from Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools arrived in Shanghai last Friday and met with students from Luwan Senior High School, and friendship quickly blossomed.
The pickleball competition opened on Sunday at a sports center at the iconic Shanghai Bund, with 30 student-athletes from each half competing in an exciting and friendly manner.
"It's more like not a competition, but it's like a communication with other countries," said Chinese student Zheng Quan.
"So, it's actually really amazing that even different sides of the world, we know exactly what we're talking about. And it's like we're one person. Like right now, we're like best friends, like it we know each other for years," said American student Sheraz Hassan Bashir.
Over the past few days, the visiting U.S. students have also enjoyed diverse activities, from city walks and hands-on experiences with traditional Chinese handicrafts to tours, including a trip to the China Table Tennis Museum.
"Decades ago, ping pong or table tennis was a sport that brought U.S. and China relations together and spearheaded positive relations. So, we see, pickleball is something in the present day now. And on this tour to shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, our delegation, our student athlete ambassadors, have an opportunity to bring our countries together," said Jeffrey Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics at Montgomery County Public Schools.
Born in the U.S. in 1965, pickleball, a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, has exploded in popularity worldwide as a social sport, and China has been riding the wave since 2017.
Pickleball event unites youth from China, US in Shanghai
The ultimate goal of UN Security Council reform is to change the situation where developed countries are over-represented, a Chinese envoy said Thursday.
Security Council reform must focus on enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries and small and medium-sized countries with independent foreign policies, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said at a UN General Assembly meeting on Security Council reform.
"The Security Council, as the core of the collective security mechanism, must reflect the realities of international politics and give more developing countries and small and medium-sized countries with independent foreign policies the opportunity to take part in Security Council decision-making. In particular, we must redress the historical injustice suffered by Africa and make priority and special arrangements for Africa's demands. The ultimate goal is to change the situation where the composition of the Security Council is imbalanced between the North and the South, where a single bloc has long dominated, and where developed countries are over-represented," Fu noted.
Security Council reform is a systemic project. Before the parties reach a clear consensus, any attempt to hastily adopt a "consolidated model", push for the launch of text-based negotiations, or even impose artificial timelines and take a "step-by-step" or "piecemeal" approach will only aggravate differences and disputes among the parties, which is not conducive to the long-term development of the United Nations and the common interests of member states, he said.
He also emphasized that the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) is the only legitimate platform for member states to discuss Security Council reform, and its role is irreplaceable. China supports all parties in continuing dialogue and consultation on this platform to build consensus, and firmly opposes any attempt to launch an alternative platform, he said.
Within the IGN framework, China stands ready to continue to work with all parties, respect one another, and engage in candid exchanges and consultations on an equal footing, to ensure that Security Council reform moves in a direction conducive to the common interests of member states and the sound development of the United Nations' cause, and to make positive contributions to building a more just and equitable global governance system, said Fu.
UN Security Council reform should address over-representation of developed countries: Chinese envoy
