China-EU Table Tennis Diplomacy: When Legends Don't Need Victory

The Brussels region witnessed an evening where table tennis had no need for scores. On the floor of the Royal Alpa Table Tennis Club, the sound of ball hitting paddle echoed not to decide victory or defeat, but to bring two cultures closer together across fields still searching for common ground. No one asked who won, because the answer lay in a different dimension - the gap between people being erased through each exchange. The China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Event was hosted by the Mission of China to the European Union. Among those present were figures of great stature in the world of table tennis, not just of China but of the entire globe. I see here something that has preoccupied me throughout 39 years of professional observation: elite competitive sport and sports diplomacy operate under two entirely different sets of rules. While the World Cup or the Olympics place numbers and achievements on the scale, at this friendship event, the criteria for success were entirely qualitative - who shook hands with whom, who laughed with whom, who understood whom better after that evening. The Mission of China to the EU, under the leadership of Ambassador Cai Run, invited 12 players representing the Mission and the Chinese Embassy in Belgium. The other side consisted of 12 members from Euroclub, representing EU institutions as true table tennis enthusiasts working within European bodies. One side was a team of diplomats, the other a group of Europeans passionate about table tennis - a playing field of 24 people divided into 6 mixed teams of 4 players each. The way the teams were divided and mixed resembles a strategy for building civil diplomacy bridges: Chinese and European players did not stand on opposite sides of the frontline but played side by side, sharing the same team colors. This detail is small but carries a large message. Table tennis, a sport that rewards refined individual strokes yet requires constant team communication in doubles, is designed to force interaction. The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) sent two of its most important figures: Vice President Didier Leroy and Secretary General Pierre Kass. The presence of leadership at this level, at a non-competitive friendship event, shows how seriously European table tennis governance regards its relationship with China. Leroy addressed the delegates, emphasizing that this event was an "opportunity to strengthen friendship, dialogue and mutual understanding between China and Europe." But what truly made me pause, my eyes long accustomed to following every ball through the lens of a reporter's camera, was the presence of two extraordinary individuals: Yan Sen and Zhang Yining. For those who only follow table tennis through international competitions, Zhang Yining has been away from the spotlight for a long time, and Yan Sen as well. Yet here, in a training hall in Brussels, they remained present in a very special capacity: representing the China Table Tennis College and its European branch - CTTC Europe. To understand the significance of this presence, I must tell you about a past that not everyone still remembers. Since the 1970s, amid the Cold War, table tennis once achieved what official diplomatic channels could not: creating a bridge between China and the world. "Ping-pong diplomacy" has since become a phrase invoked ever after. At that time, Chinese team leader Zhuang Zedong proactively shook hands with American player Glenn Cowan at the World Championships in Japan in 2026. That small gesture led to the historic visit of the U.S. table tennis team to China, paving the way for President Richard Nixon's visit in 2026. What not every modern table tennis fan knows is that Europe, not any other region, was the first to open this relationship after China's isolationist period. And that, perhaps, explains why Brussels was chosen as the venue for an event like this - rather than Paris, London or Berlin. There is a long story to tell about the relationship between Chinese table tennis and European table tennis. Generations of Chinese players have competed in Europe, while many Chinese coaches have gone to European countries to train local players. Jan-Ove Waldner, the Swede whom all of China calls "Lao Wa," exemplifies an era when Europeans not only learned from the Chinese but also defeated them on international stages. This relationship has always been a two-way street, creating a bond unlike any other. China has maintained its philosophy of what it calls "raising wolves" - nurturing rivals to sustain competitive pressure and development. Instead of keeping all their secrets to themselves, they proactively export coaches, share techniques, and help their opponents grow stronger. That strategy has proven remarkably effective, because Chinese table tennis, when faced with ever-stronger opponents, is forced to constantly reinvent itself. The result: China has maintained its dominant position for decades. So, seeing CTTC Europe appear in Brussels, I realize this is no longer purely the "wolf-raising" story as we understood it for so many years. It is moving into a new phase: exporting institutions. There is one particular detail in the Brussels story I want you to truly understand. When a country brings a sports academy to open branches abroad, that is fundamentally different from sending a few coaches for training missions. Coaches come and go, but an academy plants long-term foundations. Training programs, coaching courses, elite youth development systems - all can be organized across borders. This friendship event, as reported from Brussels, served as the venue for CTTC Europe to build its brand and credibility within the European table tennis community. I sat thinking about the time I was fortunate enough to cover a similar sports diplomacy event, where national interests and sporting spirit intertwined. The biggest difference I observed: in ordinary tournaments, spectators come to watch heroes win. In sports diplomacy events, heroes do not need victory - they only need to show up. Zhang Yining, during her playing career, achieved near-flawless results and earned the nickname "Big Devil King." She was the Olympic champion twice consecutively in women's singles, world champion multiple times, and one of the greatest female players in history. Yan Sen is equally accomplished, with a men's singles world title in 2026 and an Olympic gold medal in 2026. Both belong to the generation that made China's table tennis dominance an undeniable phenomenon. Now, they no longer compete for China. They compete for something bigger - and simultaneously, something far more strategic. In his speech, Leroy quoted the great Waldner, saying that table tennis had given him the good fortune of having friends around the world. "The spirit of today," Leroy said, "is to let mutual understanding, respect and friendship between cultures radiate far beyond here." That phrase may sound cliché in a diplomatic conference, but it feels genuinely authentic within a sports arena. And then, like everyone else seated there, I was drawn into the history of table tennis rivalry between China and Europe. Europe, more than any other region, has repeatedly been China's strongest international opponent. Whenever China seemed to have left everyone behind, Europeans found ways to close the gap. That, in many ways, is precisely the pressure that keeps Chinese table tennis from ever falling asleep. And the Brussels event, viewed through a historical lens, serves as a reminder that this relationship must not be allowed to fade. I think about the current generation of young European players. While Chinese table tennis has a systematic development structure from provincial level upward, Europe is still searching for effective formulas to avoid falling too far behind. The presence of CTTC Europe, with former legends serving as ambassadors, could be seen as an opportunity for Europe to access world-leading development systems and training methodologies. But there is another perspective, a more counter-intuitive one. If CTTC Europe expands too deeply into commercial activities - fee-based training academies or coaching certification programs - the dynamics will shift. European national federations may face a difficult question: will they embrace China's presence as an opportunity, or regard it as competition against their own development structures? At the Brussels event, the China Table Tennis College Communications Office engaged in exchanges with the Mission of China to the EU and media outlets. They held a special forum where journalists could pose questions to former world champions Yan Sen and Zhang Yining. The answers emphasized the role of table tennis in promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and Europe. This gives me the feeling that the friendship event in Brussels was not merely a one-off. It is part of a larger strategy in how China uses table tennis to build relations with Europe. I recall the empty stadiums of 2026, when the pandemic forced tournaments to pause and humanity had to learn to live in separation. In that context, I realized what perhaps we take for granted when stadiums are always full: sport is not just an athlete's performance. Sport, at its deepest level, is a story about human connection. The Brussels event is proof of this. In a world where table tennis is increasingly governed by statistical data, where VAR in football and millimeter-precision rulings dominate, here people chose to return to the simplest values. When I watched footage from Brussels, I noticed they were not merely hitting balls. They were communicating wordlessly through rallies. Every swing, every spin, was an effort to understand each other better. No interpreters needed, because table tennis language is universal. I also think about how international table tennis media perceives events like this. In a market where sports journalism typically chases stories about victories and records, an event like this can easily be undervalued. But no - it touches upon the most vital element: relationships. There is a truth that 39 years in this profession has taught me: personal relationships, not formal agreements, are what sustain sports diplomacy channels through political fluctuations. While China-EU relations experience ups and downs, the relationships built through gatherings like this endure. That evening in Brussels, Zhang Yining and Yan Sen actively mingled with attendees. They did not merely appear for appearances' sake; they genuinely played with the participants, guided them through technical details, and shared stories. For Euroclub members - people who may have played table tennis for years in amateur clubs - getting to hold a paddle alongside an Olympic champion was an unforgettable experience. When a journalist asked Zhang Yining about the China Table Tennis College's support for developing table tennis in Europe, she replied that the College is continually expanding its internationalized cooperation. "We now have two overseas bases in Europe and America, as well as several international cooperation projects underway," she said, shedding light on the program's scale - information not yet widely circulated. And that is the key point. CTTC Europe is not just an idea. It already has two overseas bases, in Europe and America. It is running international cooperation projects. It operates along a carefully calculated trajectory. Throughout history, table tennis has repeatedly served larger purposes. From thawing U.S.-China relations in the 1970s to building institutional relationships in the modern era. And in Brussels this year, this sport continues doing that work - quietly but with full weight. As the evening drew to a close, attendees left in warm spirits. Perhaps they will tell their friends about the time they met and played alongside world table tennis legends. Perhaps they will forever remember those inspiring rallies. Perhaps a few of them will seek out a local table tennis club and play with renewed emotion. And perhaps - I say perhaps - years from now, one of those Europeans present that evening will become a significant part of the table tennis world, not because they learned a special technique from Zhang Yining or Yan Sen, but because they were inspired by their very presence. I once wrote: hidden champions do not need spotlights; they need someone patient enough to see them. But in another sense, retired legends like Zhang Yining and Yan Sen do not need a stage either. They are present where they can create the most profound influence - not on the victory podium, but in an intimate training hall in Brussels, where they touch the hearts and imagination of those who love this game. China-EU table tennis diplomacy has never been merely about matches. It is about people and relationships - and these bonds will only grow deeper on foundations like the China Table Tennis College's expanding presence across Europe.