Chinese Ambassador Xie Promotes Pickleball Diplomacy to Boost People-to-People Ties

Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng has thrust "pickleball diplomacy" into the spotlight by posting a video on X on Feb 24 that follows a U.S. delegation of 45 teachers and students who arrived in Shenzhen on Feb 15 for a ten-day exchange in Nanshan District. Xie framed the visits as direct people-to-people ties and linked the sport to a larger diplomatic push after several Montgomery County delegations traveled to China in 2025 and 2026.

Xie invoked the 1970s precedent when he said, "Over half a century ago, ping-pong diplomacy opened the door for exchanges between China and the U.S., an example of how the sincere hope of our two peoples helped our two countries break the ice." He expanded the metaphor with policy language, saying, "As the China-U.S. relationship is again at a critical historical juncture, we need to move the 'big ball' with more 'small balls'," and urging that "contact brings closeness and exchange fosters understanding."

Local student exchanges provide the human detail behind the messaging. Montgomery County delegations visited China in April 2025 and again in 2026; one April group is described in school materials as 44 students and teachers who spent April 10–20 in Shenzhen, while a Montgomery Community Media account describes about 30 student-athletes on a 12-day, three-city tour to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing. Named participants include 18-year-old Ryan Corkery, who called the trip "the most crazy, life-changing experience in my life" and described Shenzhen as a "Miracle City," and rising junior Haley Corkery, who said, "The people that I met are definitely my favorite part…I still keep in contact with some of them today."

The exchanges have a public face beyond the courts. MCPS-TV filmed a documentary about the April delegation that premiered in Washington, D.C., in July and is available on the school system's YouTube channel in English and Chinese. Xie also spoke at the opening of a China-US Friendly Youth Pickleball Competition held in Montgomery County, Maryland, using the event to press the "friendship first, competition second" line and to urge more youthful exchanges.

The diplomatic push has met political scrutiny. On July 6, 2025, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a reply letter encouraging the students to become "a new generation of ambassadors for friendship between our two countries." Less than two months later, on August 18, 2025, Congressman John Moolenaar wrote to Montgomery County officials alleging that students had been targeted by influence operations and spotlighting the CEAIE. The PRC has also revised youth visa provisions and set a goal to attract 50,000 young Americans to exchange and study programs within five years, signaling a sustained, multi-year campaign.

From Shenzhen to Washington, pickleball now sits at the intersection of local sport and statecraft: youth players like Ryan and Haley provide vivid narratives of friendship, while embassy posts, a documentary, and congressional letters map how a simple sport can scale into a geopolitical issue.