Have you ever heard of Ping-Pong Diplomacy? Well, until I read Out from Under the Proscenium: A Paradigm for U.S. Cultural Diplomacy by Peter Kovach I hadn’t. While explaining the importance of the symbolic subset of cultural diplomacy, Kovach refers to the historical example of ping-pong diplomacy, which occurred in the 1970s prior to former President Nixon and Chairman Mao’s diplomatic opening. The reference to this exchange made me wonder what exactly this event entailed.
Like I stated previously, ping-pong diplomacy refers to one event, the exchange of ping-pong players between the US and the PRC in the 1970s which paved the way for Nixons visit to Beijing. Sports played a very important role in diplomacy in China at that time and the slogan “Friendship First, Competition Second” was often stated. The US table tennis team was the first American sports delegation to go to China since 1949 and the meeting was run by the National Committee on United States-China relations.
At the time of the event, Premier Zhou Enlai noted, "Our table tennis team represents our country and our people.”[1] When the US delegation arrived in China, at the reception Zhou stated, “Your visit has opened the door to friendship between the peoples of the two countries."[2] A few hours after the reception, Nixon then announced the relaxing of the embargo against China.
This one event is known to have restored relations between the two countries. It is amazing how powerful interactions between citizens can be, and that those interactions can then pave the way for government relations. This invitation “opened doors of access” and allowed for dialogue for years to come.[3] Each cultural diplomacy effort create different symbolic importance; yet, by allowing oneself to understand what events create what, nations will be able to continue and prosper in their cultural diplomacy endeavors.
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