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Yao Dawei, Xinhua/AP
Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing , left, plays table tennis with former U.S. Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger, right, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Sunday,
March 18, 2001 (AP).
Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing , left, plays table tennis with former U.S. Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger, right, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Sunday,
March 18, 2001 (AP).
China and U.S. to Celebrate 'Pingpong Diplomacy'
June 12, 2008 12:07 PM
China and the United States will commemorate the moment when China extended a diplomatic olive branch in April 1971 by inviting U.S. athletes to play pingpong.
30-Second Summary
During the week of June 9, the United States and China will celebrate the historic event known as “pingpong diplomacy” by gathering at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace. Some of the table-tennis competitors who were invited to China in 1971 will be among the celebrants.
On April 6, 1971, nine U.S. pingpong players and five American journalists were unexpectedly invited to China. Their visit marked the first time Americans had been allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.
One of the players explained his experience: “We were very naive about the whole thing. For us, it was an opportunity to go to China ... to try to learn some of their skills and techniques that we could apply to our game," he said.
Others were not so naïve. Richard Nixon and his secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, recognized the diplomatic opportunity underlying the pingpong invitation.
On February 21, 1972, President Nixon traveled to China on a “week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations between the two countries,” the BBC reported.
On April 6, 1971, nine U.S. pingpong players and five American journalists were unexpectedly invited to China. Their visit marked the first time Americans had been allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.
One of the players explained his experience: “We were very naive about the whole thing. For us, it was an opportunity to go to China ... to try to learn some of their skills and techniques that we could apply to our game," he said.
Others were not so naïve. Richard Nixon and his secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, recognized the diplomatic opportunity underlying the pingpong invitation.
On February 21, 1972, President Nixon traveled to China on a “week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations between the two countries,” the BBC reported.
Headline Link: Festivities planned at Nixon Library
More than three decades after the event that ushered in the era of “pingpong diplomacy,” American and Chinese players will gather to celebrate. Festivities at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace will include a rematch of some of the original competitors. The games will honor the current good relations between the United States and China, and serve as a prelude to the Beijing Olympics.
Source: The Washington Times [Associated Press]
Background: Pingpong helps thaw U.S.-China relations
The new era of American and Chinese diplomacy dawned on April 6, 1971, when nine American pingpong players were unexpectedly invited to China. According to PBS, “From April 11th to 17th, a delighted American public followed the daily progress of the visit in newspapers and on television, as the Americans played—and lost—exhibition matches with their hosts, toured the Great Wall and Summer Palace, chatted with Chinese students and factory workers, and attended the Canton Ballet.”
Source: PBS
Related Topic: Nixon visits China
When President Nixon visited China on February 21, 1972, he made these comments: "There is no reason for us to be enemies. Neither of us seeks the territory of the other; neither of us seeks domination over the other; neither of us seeks to stretch out our hands and rule the world."
Source: The BBC
George Washington University publishes The National Security Archive, which contains detailed information about the lead-up to President Nixon’s trip to China. According o one of the documents in the archive, the new diplomatic effort with China also served to chill U.S. relations with Japan: “In their quest for rapprochement with Beijing, Nixon and Kissinger had taken Japan by surprise—there had been no attempt at advance notice, despite previous understandings that Washington and Tokyo would coordinate any decisions on innovations in China policy.”
Source: George Washington University
Reference: Profiles of China and the Nixon administration
China
The U.S. Department of State provides an overview of Chinese political history. The “Cultural Revolution” section encompasses the political landscape at the moment “pingpong diplomacy” took place.
Source: The U.S. Department of State
The Nixon administration
The White House Web site profiles Richard Nixon, noting that, “Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, he reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R.”
Source: The White House
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