Youth build friendship through pickleball diplomacy

The future of China-US relations depends on young people, as how they get along will shape how the two countries engage, Beijing's top envoy in Washington said on Sunday at the opening of a youth pickleball competition in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Speaking at the China-US Friendly Youth Pickleball Competition, Ambassador Xie Feng noted that "throughout history, it is the kindness of our people and the courage of our youths that have kept moving China-US relations forward."

He said that youth had played pivotal roles before: Eight decades ago, young Americans fought alongside Chinese forces during World War II, and five decades ago, youth athletes opened doors for bilateral exchange through ping-pong diplomacy.

"We need to give full support for every engagement between our youths, so that they can get a firsthand perspective through mutual visits, build trust through dialogue, enhance friendship in cooperation, and inject more hope and vitality into the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations," Xie said.

Sunday's competition followed a cultural exchange between Montgomery County Public Schools and Chinese students that started earlier this year.

In April, about 30 MCPS student-athletes traveled to Shanghai and Beijing, as well as Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for a 12-day pickleball and cultural tour, which MCPS Systemwide Athletics Director Jeffrey Sullivan described as "pickleball diplomacy".

During the trip, students made dumplings, celebrated a birthday, strolled along the Bund in Shanghai and climbed the Great Wall, while also witnessing how AI empowers education, and marveled at how ideas are turned into reality through laser engraving.

In return, 53 students and teachers from Shenzhen came to Montgomery County to join Sunday's event.

Xie said the event represented "a gathering of old buddies and a chance to meet new friends," highlighting the importance of youth exchanges in forging ties between the two nations.

"Let's encourage more exchanges with such youthful vigor," he said. "The bond between our two countries has deepened with every interaction you have, and the path of China-US friendship has widened with every step you take."

In his speech, Xie mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a reply letter to the teachers and students of the US youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation in July, encouraging them to become "a new generation of ambassadors for friendship between our two countries" and to deepen people-to-people ties.

The April delegation's experience was captured in a documentary premiered in July in Washington DC.

"Relations between countries start with one relationship at a time, one interaction at a time. And that's exactly what our student ambassadors did, the entire time in China and since then. And so, pickleball diplomacy just became a thing," Sullivan, who participated in Sunday's event, said at the premiere, according to a Montgomery Community Media website report.

For Ryan Corkery, an MCPS student, the pickleball trip was nothing short of transformative.

"We went to China — most crazy, life-changing experience in my life. Met so many cool people, had so many cool experiences and, yeah, thank you, pickleball," Corkery said at a Montgomery County Recreation podcast released on Aug 28.

"The pickleball helped us build these lasting friendships … we still talk to the Chinese kids today on various social medias," he said.

Beyond the courts, the students discovered something even more powerful: connection.

Trinh Au, another student, recalled playing three friendly matches with Chinese peers, and "we just hung out the whole day for the whole city".

"It was really fun to be able to meet with them, connect with them on a further level, farther than pickleball," Au said.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com