Li Hongzhi, deputy head of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 China-U.S. Elite-University Student Pickleball Invitational. He served the opening shot on Oct 17 at South China Normal University's University Town campus in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The tournament was a key part of the Guangzhou leg of the inaugural 2026 U.S. College Students' China Visit for People-to-People Exchange program, held under the theme "Bonding Through Sport, Connecting Through the Heart".

Thirty-one students and faculty members from American universities joined their counterparts from universities in Guangdong for friendly matches, using pickleball as a platform to foster mutual understanding and interpersonal connections.

The initiative builds on Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal, announced during his state visit to the United States in September, to invite 100,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study over the next five years. Xi has emphasized that the future of China-U.S. relations rests with the younger generation.

The event also advanced youth engagement under the China-U.S. International Youth Partnership Program and followed a message of support from Xi to a visiting U.S. youth delegation from Maryland, highlighting the role of sports in promoting dialogue and friendship between young people in the two countries.