Sino-U.S. pairs put Ping-Pong Diplomacy back on the agenda

Stars from two nations form mixed doubles teams for world table tennis championship

Marking the 50th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, top paddlers from China and the United States will pair up on two teams to compete at the mixed doubles competition this week at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, Texas.

Chinese star Lin Gaoyuan will pair with Lily Zhang from the U.S., while American Kanak Jha will play with Wang Manyu, who won a team gold for China at the Tokyo Summer Olympics this year.

Liu Guoliang, World Table Tennis Council chair and president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, believes the China-U.S. pairs at the World Table Tennis Championships will usher in a new chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy between the two nations.

"We have been thinking about how we can build on the China-U.S. friendship started by our predecessors 50 years ago, and further enhance this relationship through sports events, sports activities and community events," said Liu.

"On this basis, the CTTA, alongside USA Table Tennis, proposed to the International Table Tennis Federation to have Chinese and American players paired up for the mixed doubles, so that these athletes can work together in the competition, and so that fans from both countries can cheer them on, opening a new chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in this new era."