¡i©ú³ø±M°T¡jTable tennis, commonly known as ping-pong in the East, is more than a sport. In the 1970s, it was a diplomacy (¥~¥æ) channel between the US and China. American players' visit to China in 1971 helped pave the way for the American president's visit to China in 1972, which was considered a significant landmark on the road to the normalisation of US-China relations.

1. Background of Sino-US relations

After the 1911 Revolution (¨¯¥è­²©R), the Republic of China (¤¤µØ¥Á°ê) maintained diplomatic ties with the US. Before the Chinese Civil War had ended (in 1950), the People's Republic of China (PRC, ¤¤µØ¤H¥Á¦@©M°ê), led by the Communist Party of China, was founded in 1949. But the US did not recognise the PRC. Not until 1971 did the United Nations (Áp¦X°ê) recognise the government of the PRC as the legitimate (¦Xªkªº) government in China. That year the PRC officially joined the United Nations.

2. 1971 Ping-pong diplomacy

Ping-pong diplomacy began when American table tennis players were invited to China in 1971. The American team received China's invitation in Japan at the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. The invitation surprised the world. The TIME magazine said ''the ping heard 'round the world' ''.

On 10 April 1971, the American team, accompanied by journalists, arrived in China. That marked the end of the information blockade («ÊÂê) in China. The group was the first US sports delegation to enter China since the PRC imposed the blockade in 1949.

The Chinese team and American team did exhibition matches. Though the American team lost, the matches were widely covered by the American media. The American team visited some important landmarks in Beijing, including the Great Wall (ªø«°) and the Summer Palace (À[©M¶é).

3. Impact

This visit was a breakthrough in the normalisation of US-China relations and paved the way for US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in the following year. In fact, Nixon mentioned as early as 1970 in his inaugural address that the US and China were entering an era of negotiation after confrontation. Nixon's visit was formally announced in July 1971. His eight-day visit to China happened in February 1972. Though some anti-Communists were opposed to the visit, it was considered vital to the normalisation of US-China relations.

4. Current Sino-US relations

In December 2013, US President Barack Obama announced he would nominate long-time Democratic Senator Max Baucus (Àj¥d´µ, right) as the next US ambassador to China. Baucus said in a statement that ''the US-China relation is one of the world's most important bilateral relationships (ÂùÃäÃö«Y). If confirmed, my goal will be to further strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between our two nations''. The nomination was confirmed unanimously in the US Senate on 6 February 2014, and Baucus reached Beijing on March 18.

Though the US and China have worked together more closely, they have different views on human rights. While the US accuses China of violating human rights, China accuses the US of imposing the West's standard and values on China. In fact, a report issued by US Congressional-Executive Commission on China in late 2013 says the human rights condition in China has not improved since President Xi Jinping (°ê®a¥D®u²ßªñ¥­) took office.