Ping-Pong Diplomacy

"Ping-pong diplomacy" refers to a series of events involving the exchange of table tennis (ping-pong) teams between the People's Republic of China and the United States in the early 1970s. These visits initiated a thaw in Sino-US relations, and are figuratively referred to as a process whereby "a tiny ball set the whole globe in motion."

The 31st World Table Tennis Championships, held in Nagoya of Japan, in March and April 1971, provided a convenient venue for direct contact between China and the United States at a time when the two countries had no diplomatic ties. There was amicable interaction between the table tennis teams from China and the United States during the championships. Keenly sensing an opportunity for reengagement between China and the U.S., Chairman Mao Zedong extended an invitation to the U.S. table tennis team to visit China which was readily accepted by the Nixon Administration. The visit by a delegation of the USA Table Tennis (USATT) took place from April 10 to 17, 1971, and culminated in a cordial meeting with Premier Zhou Enlai. It was reciprocated by the Chinese table tennis team's visit to the U.S. on April 11, 1972.

Credited with ending a freeze of more than 20 years on personnel exchanges between the two countries, "ping-pong diplomacy" heralded a historic breakthrough in Sino-US relations, and helped propel the normalization of Sino-US relations and accelerate New China's return to the international stage.

乒乓外交

“乒乓外交”是指20世紀70時代初期中華人民共和國與美利堅合眾國兩國乒乓球隊互訪的一系列事件。它開啟了中美關系緩和的步伐，被形象地比喻為“小球推動大球”。

1971年3-4月，在日本名古屋舉行了第31屆世界乒乓球錦標賽，為當時尚未建交的中美兩國接觸提供了便利條件。兩國乒乓球隊在比賽期間進行了友好的互動。毛澤東主席敏銳地意識到這是中美接觸的一個契機，便決定邀請美國乒乓球隊訪華。尼克松政府很快決定接受邀請。1971年4月10日至17日，美國乒乓球協會代表團訪華，受到了周恩來總理的親切接見。1972年4月11日，中國乒乓球隊回訪了美國。

“乒乓外交”結束了中美兩國20多年來人員交往隔絕的局面，中美和解隨即取得歷史性突破，推動了中美兩國關系正常化的進程，加速了新中國走向世界的步伐。