Nagoya, 27 August 2021 (TDI): On Thursday, a seminar was held in Nagoya, Japan to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of “Ping-Pong diplomacy.” During the event, the participants called for solidifying the bonhomie between Japan and China and working for further development.
Ping Pong diplomacy refers to the event of the 1970s when President Nixon sent Ping Pong players to China, which later opened doors for better Sino-American relations.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou attended the seminar virtually and delivered a speech and manifested a hope that bilateral ties must be taken to new heights. Kong, while mentioning the importance of Ping Pong diplomacy, said that the world is moving towards interdependence and economic globalization, so unity, coordination, and win-win cooperation is the need of the hour.
Ling Sogitan (president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries), Soichi Kondo (secretary-general of the Japan-China Friendly Parliamentarians’ Union), and Ichiro Hirasawa (Deputy Mayor Nagoya City) also delivered speeches and pressed on the need for public diplomacy.
The speakers noted that Japan-China relations at the government level are like arteries while the people to people friendly relations are like veins, which complement each other and are indispensable.
