Where did Ping-pong diplomacy begin?

• A. Olympic Games in Tokyo, 1964
• B. World Table Tennis Championships in Japan, 1971
• C. World Cup Table Tennis in France, 1970
• D. Exhibition match in Beijing, 1972

Answer: (B)

Ping-pong diplomacy started from a chance, friendly exchange at an international table tennis event. In 1971, the World Table Tennis Championships were held in Nagoya, Japan, where American players connected with Chinese players. That meeting led to an invitation from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai for the American team to visit China, opening formal lines of communication between the two governments and helping to thaw decades of tension. This quick shift in relations set the stage for President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. The other events listed didn’t spark this opening: the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, the 1970 World Cup in France, and a later 1972 Beijing exhibition all came after the initial moment in Nagoya or are unrelated to how the diplomatic shift began.