Ping-pong diplomacy
Considered a turning point in relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China, it began during the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan, as a result of an encounter between players Glenn Cowan (of the US) and Zhuang Zedong (of the PRC).
The Shanghai Communiqué was a pivotal diplomatic document issued on February 28, 1972, during President Richard Nixon's visit to China.
It marked a significant shift in U.S.-China relations, as both countries acknowledged their differences while committing to improving their relationship, ultimately setting the stage for détente between the two nations.
The United States viewed the People's Republic of China as an aggressor nation and enforced an economic containment policy including an embargo on the PRC, following its entry into the Korean War in 1950.
[1] "However, when Mao wanted to improve relations with the United States, he needed to prepare the Chinese public psychologically and politically.
"[1] From the early years of the People's Republic, sports had played an important role in diplomacy, incorporating the slogan "Friendship First, Competition Second".
[2]: 299 On March 30, 1971, American player Graham Steenhoven and the head of the Chinese delegation Song Zhong had two short conversations.
[2]: 299 The Chinese delegation relayed this interaction to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Sports Commission, requesting instructions on how to respond.
[2]: 299 Zhou Enlai agreed, but requested that Chinese officials with the team in Japan obtain the American delegation's address and inform them of China's position on the Taiwan issue.
[2]: 299 Mao Zedong initially approved the resulting report, but two days later instructed the MFA to invite the American team to visit China.
Welshman H. Roy Evans, then President of the International Table Tennis Federation, claimed that he visited China prior to the 31st World Table Tennis Championship and suggested to non-Chinese sports authorities and Premier Zhou Enlai that China should take steps to get in contact with the world through international sport events after the Cultural Revolution.
Evans' suggestion aligned with China's interest in using sports as a tool for spreading their socialist internationalism, a strategy that became more prominent in the following decades.
The third incident, perhaps the most likely trigger, was the unexpected but dramatic meeting between the American player Glenn Cowan and the Chinese team captain Zhuang Zedong, a three-time world champion and winner of many other table tennis events.
On the morning of the 1971 World Table Tennis Championship in Nagoya, Japan, Glenn Cowan had slept in and missed U.S. national team's bus to the tournament.
Determined to still make the tournament, Cowan hopped on the next bus to the stadium, which just so happened to belong to China's national team.
[4] This exchange of gifts between Cowan and Zhuang became a powerful symbol of potential friendship between the two nations, capturing the imagination of both the Chinese and American public.
[8] The U.S. team spent 10-days traveling to Tianjin, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai, visiting national monuments, attending banquets, playing exhibition matches, and observing the drastic cultural differences.
[citation needed] Upon arrival, the U.S. team was greeted by Premier Zhou Enlai and in the proceeding days, several exhibition matches took place, and those in Beijing hosted 20,000 in attendance.
[10]: 115–116 Nonetheless, cracks in the Chinese facade showed as "during one stopover, team president Graham Steenhoven noticed that a “Welcome American Team” banner had been hung over a wall painted with the words “Down With the Yankee Oppressors and Their Running Dogs!”[citation needed] The meeting was facilitated by the National Committee on United States – China Relations.
[11] On the first day of the American team's visit, Zhou arranged for them to watch a performance of The Red Detachment of Women, a popular model play.
[2]: 300 The American team visited significant sites, including Tsinghua University, an industrial museum, a people's commune, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Summer Palace.
[2]: 307 In February 1972, Nixon visited the People's Republic, the first time in history that an American president had traveled to the Chinese mainland.
[2]: 307 The Chinese believed an alliance with the United States would mitigate any threat from Soviet Union, yet Nixon had a different agenda.
[2]: 308 Upon his return to the United States, one of the American players, Glenn Cowan, told reporters that the Chinese were very similar to people in the U.S.
[2]: 301–302 Galston and Singer conveyed these messages to the American public through a report written by The New York Times a few days after their meeting with Zhou.
The diplomatic efforts leading to the formation of this unified team were led by then-International Table Tennis Federation President, Ichiro Ogimura.
