Pickleball is the new ping-pong, and a sport for bridging bonding between the Chinese and American youths, emphasised Xi Jinping, the President of China. Xi expressed his views about pickleball while responding to a letter from teachers and students of a US youth pickleball team from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland. The students visited China in April as part of the “50,000 in Five Years” initiative - a programme focused on bringing young Americans to China for educational and cultural exchanges over the next half-decade.

The programme will see 50,000 young Americans visiting China for exchange and study programmes over a five-year span. As part of the programme, the US students participated in friendly pickleball competitions with Chinese students in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing. They also enjoyed diverse local experiences, including city walks, hands-on work with traditional Chinese handicrafts, and a variety of tours, including a trip to the China Table Tennis Museum.

After their nearly month-long exposure tour in China, the US student delegation expressed gratitude to Xi for launching the “50,000 in Five Years” initiative. Their letter recapped the trip and discussed the bonds forged with Chinese students through pickleball. The delegation also extended an invitation to Xi to send a similar Chinese student team to visit the US, so that the cultural exchange surrounding pickleball could continue.

The Daily CPEC carried Xi's detailed response. "President Xi congratulated the delegation on their successful visit and expressed happiness that pickleball had emerged as a new link for youth interaction between the two countries," the publication wrote.

"Xi emphasized that the future of China-US relations lies in the hands of the younger generation. He expressed hope that the delegation members would serve as a new generation of friendship ambassadors, strengthening ties and understanding between the two peoples," the publication added.

The US students practiced at Dill Dinkers and participated in Chinese cultural engagement sessions throughout their stay in China. The delegation was also provided with paddles and apparel by JOOLA.

Montgomery County Public Schools is the first school district in the United States to offer pickleball as a varsity sport. The programme was piloted at 11 high schools in 2023 and expanded to all 25 high schools in 2024. It must be noted that similar cultural exchanges, facilitated by a series of table tennis matches - known as ping-pong - took place in the early 1970s. It resulted in President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972 and restoration of diplomatic relations between the US and China.