Dr. Peter Moran, Chief of Schools from Montgomery County Public Schools and his wife,

Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan, Director of Systemwide Athletics and his wife,

Mrs. Jennifer Strouble and Ms. Isabelle Strouble,

Mr. Sean Stein, President of the US-China Business Council,

Dear Students，

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Chinese Embassy in the United States on this special night of pickleball!

Last August, we enjoyed a lively and spirited friendship match, here at the Embassy, with young friends from Maryland’s youth pickleball delegation.

Tonight, we are delighted to welcome both old and new friends, and celebrate the premiere of the China Trip Documentary — a film that captures beautiful stories about young Chinese and Americans connecting through pickleball and becoming true friends.

Through pickleball, you developed sincere friendship. Since last year, you have warmly engaged with two Chinese delegations of teachers and students from Shenzhen and Shanghai during their visits to the United States. During the Chinese New Year, you returned to China and participated in youth pickleball friendship matches in four places: Shenzhen, Shangyouin Jiangxi, Hebiin Henan, and Beijing.Haley, who was visiting China for the second time, said with emotion, “Coming back to China felt like returning to my second home.” Your friends from Shanghai, who had visited you in Montgomery County,even made a special trip to Beijing just to see you again. These touching moments show us how pickleball is bringing young people in China and the United States closer together.

Through pickleball, you learned from each other — and experienced an openChina. During your visit in February, you did much more than play pickleball with Chinese friends on the court. Off the court, you made dumplings, tried sugar-figure blowing, painted opera masks, visited flower markets, wrote Spring Festival couplets, put up the character fu for good fortune, and watched lion dances, acrobatics, Sichuan Opera and face-changing performances. You experienced a truly authentic Chinese New Year. The trip took you across China, from north to south, and from major cities to smaller communities. You visited villages, towns, and neighborhoods, gaining a multi-dimensional view of life in today’s China. As Emilysaid, the real China is very different from media narratives. What you see with your own eyes is far more vivid and far more real than anything you may read online or in books.

Through pickleball, you connected with one another and built bridges of communication. More than half a century ago, a small ping-pong ball helped build a bridge of communication across the Pacific. Today, pickleball is creating a new pathway for people-to-people exchange between our two countries. Although born in the United States, Pickleball is gaining popularity in China. In Guangdong, Henan, Shandong, and many other places, the sport has already made its way into physical education programs in primary and middle schools. From ping-pong to pickleball, the paddles have changed. Butour peoples’ shared wish for friendship remains as strong as ever.

Dear Friends,

Today, China-U.S. relations stand at a new historical starting point. Half a month ago, our two presidents held a historic and landmark meeting in Beijing. President Xi Jinping and President Trump agreed on a new vision of building “a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability”.That provides strategic guidance for our bilateral relationship over the next three years and beyond. Itis well-received by the people of both countries and the international community.

At the welcome banquet for President Trump, President Xi noted that 55 years ago, “Ping-Pong diplomacy” opened the door between China and the United States after over 20 years of estrangement, marking a milestone in contemporary international relations.President Trump also recalled the history of people-to-people exchanges, saying that the American and Chinese peoples share mutual appreciation and respect, and their friendship goes back a long way. The Beijing summit has charted the course for bilateral relations and given fresh momentum to youth exchange.

Just recently, President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from Chinese and American students taking part in A Shared Voyage: China-U.S. Youth Friendship Program. He noted that the initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over five years has reached its goal two and a half years ahead of schedule. This is more than an inspiring number, but a powerful example of young people from our two countries reaching out to one another across the Pacific — and a youthful promise for the future of China-U.S. relations.

Dear Friends,

Now it is up to us to follow the direction set by our two presidents. Let’s work together toward a relationship with cooperation as the mainstay, competition within proper limits, manageable differences and expectable peace. That way, we could advance the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and explore the right way for China and the United States to get along in this new era.

In that spirit, I would like to make three proposals.

First, we should follow the trend of our times and expand common ground. China and the U.S. are like two playersonthe same sports court. We play by the rules and respect one another. Competition, where it exists, should be healthy and positive, guided by rules and aimed at mutual improvement. It should help bring out our best and become better versions of ourselves. The same approach applies to relations between major countries. Mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation are the key to moving safely beyond the so-called Thucydides Trap.

Second, we should expand exchanges and cooperation, and jointly strengthen the foundation of bilateral relations. China and the United States differ in history, culture, social system, and development path. But differences should not become barriers between us. Rather, they should open up new opportunities for mutual learning and cooperation. Our two sides should extend the list of cooperation and shorten the list of differences. President Xi Jinping warmly welcomes more American young people to visit and study in China. President Trump has also expressed on many occasions his welcome for Chinese students in the United States. We hope the U.S. side will work with us to deliver on this common understanding between our two presidents.

Third, we hope the young people can step forward and help shape our shared future. When the younger generation rises to its responsibilities, the world will have a brighter future. I hope the young people in China and the United States could stay grounded, think globally, and work together on challenges that affect us all — from climate change and artificial intelligence to public health and food security. As we work toward a global community with a shared future, I hope you will bring your talent to solving problems, your passion to driving change, and your strength to shaping a more peaceful and better future for all of us.

Dear Friends,

2026 is a milestone year for China-U.S. relations.It is also the year when China begins its 15th Five-Year Plan, and the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. The giant vessel of China-U.S. relations has set sail from Beijing, and each of us is a sailor on this shared voyage. With our two Presidents charting the course, let us:

Carry forward the spirit of “Ping-Pong diplomacy” through pickleball;

Write new stories of China-U.S. friendship with the passion of youth;

And help usher in a brighter future for China-U.S. relations.

Thank you.