Ping pong event spotlights China-Britain ties – World

The sharp crackle of ping pong balls echoed through the atrium of Loughborough University in London on Monday as members of the Chinese national table tennis team played alongside students, children and guests, just hours after winning both the men’s and women’s team titles at the World Team Table Tennis Championships.

Cheers erupted as the crowd managed to return a serve from the world champion, and phones went up to capture the rare moment of sporting intimacy in the UK capital.

For many attendees, it was not just an opportunity to meet top athletes, but a reminder of how a little white ball has long had meaning far beyond sports.

Held under the theme More Rallies, More Friendship, Monday’s event marked the 55th anniversary of ping-pong diplomacy between China and Britain. It also came days after the championships returned to London, exactly 100 years after the tournament was first held in the city in 1926.

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang described the event as “quite historic”.

“We all know that table tennis was invented in Britain in 1890. In 1926, the International Table Tennis Federation was founded and the first World Table Tennis Championships were held,” Zheng said. “So 100 years later, this sport has returned to its birthplace and Britain successfully hosted the World Table Tennis Championships in London in 2026.”

Zheng congratulated Table Tennis England for organizing the tournament and praised the Chinese athletes for their championship victories.

But much of the event focused not on medals but on the sport’s diplomatic legacy.

Zheng noted that exchanges between Chinese and British table tennis teams in 1971 became an important step in the development of bilateral ties.

“Similar to the role that ping-pong diplomacy played in China-US relations, the exchange of visits between our two countries was an important step toward the development of diplomatic relations between China and the United Kingdom,” Zheng said.

Nick Jennings, vice-chancellor and president of Loughborough University, said the centenary championships “represent a significant milestone that reflects both the sport’s heritage and its extraordinary global journey”.

“Sports are much more than competition,” Jennings said. “It is a powerful universal language, one that creates conversations where words fail, builds collaborations across borders and forges communities across cultures and continents.”

Jennings also highlighted the university’s growing partnerships with Chinese institutions and sports organizations, describing these as relationships built on “trust, mutual respect and shared commitment.”

Wang Liqin, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association and former world champion, reflected on the continued significance of ping-pong diplomacy.

“A small white ball crossed barriers and opened the door for mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries,” Wang said. “This history tells us that mutual understanding between peoples is the basis of friendship between nations, and that sporting exchanges are a universal language that transcends cultures.”

Addressing the younger participants at the event, Wang said, “I hope you will all use your rackets as bridges and the table as a platform – improving your skills through competition, deepening understanding through exchanges, overcoming prejudices and building trust.”

Table Tennis England CEO Sally Lockyer said strengthening ties with China was a key priority for the organization as it prepared to host the championships.

“For years we have looked to China for inspiration in developing our own players,” she said. “We truly hope that through mutual friendship, understanding and relationship building, we can visit each other’s countries and countries and find ways to help each other in the next hundred years.”

The event concluded with a panel discussion entitled Sharing Your Table Tennis Story, which featured Alan Hydes, one of the participants in the original Ping-Pong diplomacy exchanges between China and Britain.