Chinese President Xi Jinping Gives Warm Regards to US Pickleball Delegation That Visited China in April
Back in April, students from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in the US visited China for some pickleball banter and a few matches here and there. It was a significant visit as it came amidst tension between the two countries and is testament to pickleball’s uniting power and communal spirit.
It turns out, the US delegation gave President Xi Jinping a letter of appreciation at the conclusion of the exchange trip, which included visits to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing. The letter, according to Jeffrey Sullivan, head of the US youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Montgomery county, Maryland, meant to thank the Chinese president for China’s initiative of welcoming youths from the US.
“Thank you again for your vision and commitment to providing opportunities for our students and our countries to come together and build friendships, relationships and cultural learning opportunities,” the delegation wrote in their letter to President Xi.
President Xi’s initiative—”50,000 in Five Years”—aims to bring 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs within a five years, and the students from the MCPS were among the first to benefit from the program. A total of 44 students from 13 selected schools made the trip with Sullivan leading the group.
President Xi Gives His Reply to MCPS as Improved China-US Relations Beckon
A couple of months later, President Xi, according to Sullivan, has replied to the initial thank-you letter with his own letter of gratitude to the MCPS delegation.
According to Sullivan, Xi also expressed his appreciation of the visit while also expressing how pleased he was to see pickleball serving as shared interest among the youths of the US and China. Xi, in his letter, also emphasised that relations between China and the US will largely depend on the youth, with the delegation’s members hopefully becoming a new generation of ambassadors that will nurture the two countries’ friendship and improve relations.
“We are extremely honoured to receive a response from President Xi,” said Sullivan, who hailed the trip as life-changing because it enabled the students to immerse themselves in Chinese culture and experience interpersonal relationships with foreign nationals. “That was made possible because of the hospitality of the Chinese people, who opened their doors to us, who served us wonderful food, who had wonderful performances showcasing the culture and traditions of China,” he said. “It (the visit) would be something that we would take with us forever.”
Wang Pengfei, one of the tour’s initiators, echoed Sullivan’s views and is hopeful the immersion can shape in a positive way how young Americans see their Chinese counterparts. “We want young Americans to see today’s China for themselves,” Wang said. “Every high-five on the court, every hands-on experience in traditional craft workshops and every visit to a high-tech company is reshaping how they perceive China’s development.”
Needless to say, it was mission accomplished for Sullivan and the rest of the MCPS delegation. Even President Xi, apparently, sees it that way. That pickleball played a central part in all this just goes to show how impactful it has become now.
