On March 21, Chen Shuangwei, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Municipal Government, met with Dr. Michael Li, Vice Chairman of Table Tennis New South Wales Australia, and Mr. Paul Pinkewich, former member of the Australian national table tennis team. They had in-depth exchanges on promoting cooperation between Shenyang and New South Wales in sports, culture, and other fields.

Director Chen Shuangwei welcomed Dr. Li and Mr. Paul Pinkewich to visit Shenyang. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Recently, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, visited Australia, ushering in a new chapter of deepening exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. Today, we review the precious history of China and Australia's "Ping Pong Diplomacy" and hope that this visit can be an opportunity to further deepen the friendly cooperation between Shenyang, New South Wales, and Sydney, and promote exchanges and cooperation in sports, culture, youth, and other fields.

Dr. Li stated that the theme of this visit is "Friendship in Table Tennis: Australian Table Tennis Veterans Telling the Stories of China-Australia Table Tennis Exchange". With strong support from provincial and municipal Foreign Affairs Offices, People’s Associations of Friendship with Foreign Countries, Sports Bureaus, Liaoning University, and Shenyang Sports University, exchange activities such as table tennis friendship matches, historical picture exhibitions of China and Australia's "Ping Pong Diplomacy", and table tennis training have been held with good results achieved. Table Tennis New South Wales will actively play a role as a bridge and fully promote exchanges and cooperation with Shenyang in table tennis events, youth, and more fields.

Mr. Paul Pinkewich reviewed the unforgettable moment of visiting China with the Australian table tennis delegation in 1971 and taking a photo with Premier Zhou Enlai. He said that an ordinary table tennis match seems to have opened the door to mutual understanding and friendship between China and Australia, which sparked a strong interest in China among many Australians and has become a highlight in the history of China-Australia diplomacy. Through this visit to Shenyang, he personally experienced the openness, friendliness, vitality, and modernity of the city. He hopes to have the opportunity to visit Shenyang again and promote friendly exchanges with the people of the city through table tennis.

Paul Pinkewich is a famous Australian table tennis player who was inducted into the Table Tennis Australia Hall of Fame. Since 1967, he began to represent Australia in international competitions, and won 14 international medals, 24 Australian national championships, and 6 Oceanian championships, accumulating rich experience in 287 matches. In April 1971, Paul Pinkewich and his team visited China, which was later referred to as the "beginning of the normalization of Australia-China relations" by Stephen Fitzgerald，Australia's first ambassador to China.