A commemorative event in San Francisco was held on Wednesday paying tribute to the 55th anniversary of the historic "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," which played a pivotal role in thawing U.S.-China relations in the 1970s.
The gathering, centered around the spirit of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" and including friendly matches, highlighted the enduring message of "friendship first, competition second" and underscored the continued importance of people-to-people ties.
Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Zhang Jianmin attended the commemorative activity organized by the Asia Society Northern California and Seattle.
The event drew nearly 100 participants, including Judy Hoarfrost, a former U.S. national team member and witness to the original "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," and former U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus.
The centerpiece of the event was a symbolic ping-pong match.
Consul General Zhang played with Judy Hoarfrost, who, at age 15 in 1971, was the youngest member of the U.S. table tennis team that visited China, a trip that captured global attention and helped restart diplomatic contact. "I had no idea when I was 15 that it would be 55 years later, you would still be interviewing me and asking me about ping-pong diplomacy. Uh, my kids came home and said, mom, you're in the history book. And it's just such an important message that ping-pong players were able to break through and bring the leaders of our country together," said Hoarfrost.
The event served as a reminder of the tangible benefits brought by the relationship initiated by that exchange. Consul General Zhang emphasized drawing wisdom from that spirit to navigate current bilateral questions.
"People are increasingly concerned about where this relationship is heading. Friend or foe? Cooperation or confrontation, to build bridges or barriers? Those are the questions. To find answers to these important questions, I think it might be useful to refer to 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy', and to draw wisdom from the spirits of 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy', which is friendship first, competition second," said Zhang.
The commemoration also looked to the future, bridging generations.
Both Zhang and Hoarfrost played with new members of the current U.S. national table tennis team, including Ryan Lin from the San Francisco Bay Area. Lin, who trained with the Chinese national team last summer, represents the ongoing cultural exchange fostered by the sport.
The event concluded with a powerful affirmation of the role of interpersonal connections.
Hoarfrost stressed that common challenges must be faced together through communication and understanding.
"We have so much to work on. And we have many issues in common. And you can only face those together when you work together and you communicate, you understand each other. So it's really important to have people-to-people exchanges for us to get to know other people from China as well as other countries and for them to know us and to know it at a human level through sports and culture," she said.
San Francisco event honors 55th anniversary of China-US ping-pong diplomacy
