Xi Jinping and Joe Biden at China-US summit: The twist that could change relations forever

Ambassador Xie Feng dubbed the historic meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last month in San Francisco a groundbreaking milestone in the decades-old relationship.

The face-to-face encounter between the Chinese and US presidents marked a significant step forward after a year of diplomatic silence.

During their talks, both leaders hammered out agreements on critical issues ranging from fentanyl trafficking to military communications and artificial intelligence. It also marked Xi’s first visit to the US since 2017, when he was hosted by then-president Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Ambassador Xie Feng, speaking at an event commemorating 52 years of ping-pong diplomacy, emphasised the profound impact of the summit. In 1971, nine American table tennis players became the first US delegation to visit China since the Communist Party came to power, paving the way for official diplomatic ties in 1979. Xie highlighted the importance of continuing such exchanges.

“The summit has consolidated the momentum towards stabilising China-US relations and injected much-needed certainty and stability into this turbulent and fluid world.”

President Xi’s message during his San Francisco visit was clear – China and the US must work together to jointly manage disagreements effectively, jointly advance mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries and promote people-to-people exchanges, reported South China Morning Post.

Addressing the escalating tensions between the two nations, Xie called for good sportsmanship, drawing parallels with athletic competition. He stressed that competitors should focus on self-improvement and playing by the rules rather than trying to bring down others or forming alliances against them.

“There’s no reason why competitors cannot also be friends.”

Xie urged all parties to draw wisdom from the lessons of ping-pong diplomacy. This sentiment was echoed by Connie Sweeris and her husband Dell Sweeris, two of the table tennis players who participated in the historic 1971 trip to China. Connie emphasised that despite differences.

Jan Berris, now the vice president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, hailed the Xi-Biden meeting as an important turning point and expressed hope that its positive effects would pave the way for a strong, stable, and mutually respectful relationship between the two nations.

The echoes of ping-pong diplomacy still resonate, breaking down barriers and fostering communication and understanding between the people of China and the United States.