Soccer games give Sino-US ties a leg-up in Xinjiang

A group of Chinese and US teenagers played two friendly soccer matches at Urumqi No 23 Middle School in the regional capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region over the weekend, competing hard while having fun and forging new friendships.

The China (Xinjiang)-US (California) Youth Football Friendship Match was co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Xinjiang Council, the regional sports bureau and the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation. The US nonprofit, founded in 1998, honors the Flying Tigers, the US air unit that fought alongside Chinese forces against Japanese aggression during World War II.

On Saturday, a visiting squad of players aged 14 to 16 from Pico Rivera, California, took on their Urumqi hosts and lost 1-2. The following day, they faced a team from Tacheng prefecture in Xinjiang, drawing 4-4 at full time before winning 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out.

Luis Palacios, 14, scored three goals in Sunday's match.

"It was a tough game, but fun," he said. Asked if he felt intimidated by the older opponents, he replied: "I'm never afraid. I always play against older people in the US. I'm small, so I play bigger people than me and I'm used to it."

His teammate Israel Antonio Echeverria said: "It's truly a blessing to be here, playing the sport I love. Some of these (local) players are gonna for sure make it far."

Nurzhul Telek, 17, from Tacheng, scored twice on Sunday. It was his first time facing a foreign opponent.

"They're very competitive — you can tell they have solid training behind them," he said. What inspired him most, however, was their relaxed and flexible style of play, as well as the individual creativity each player brought to the pitch.

Several local players filled in as substitutes for the US team. Some spoke English, while a translator helped during water breaks off the pitch. On the field, however, the players relied mostly on gestures, with communication flowing naturally.

"For us, not even knowing each other, not even speaking the same language, it was a great result and great cooperation," said Pablo Salazar, 23, coach of the US squad. "Soccer is a beautiful sport. It allows us to come together — it almost feels like we're speaking the same language because we're all playing the same sport, and it's played worldwide."

After Sunday's game, players from the two sides swapped jerseys. The Pico Rivera delegation also played in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, before arriving in Xinjiang.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Flying Tigers' arrival in China. Officially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, the unit was formed in 1941 by US General Claire Lee Chennault. More than 2,000 Flying Tigers airmen perished in the war, while Chinese people rescued more than 200 pilots at the cost of thousands of their own lives.

"The spirit of the Flying Tigers is about two peoples working together through tough times," said Erik Lutz, a council member for the city of Pico Rivera and a representative of the foundation. "And that legacy is represented behind us on this soccer field — this young generation of boys and girls playing. The friendships they created will last a lifetime. And if one of them is in need, they'll definitely have the help of their friends across the Pacific."

Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the foundation, said the shared Flying Tigers legacy underscores the importance of US-China cooperation today.

Over the past six weeks, the foundation has brought more than 200 US students to 25 Chinese cities in three groups, with Urumqi as the final stop. Greene said they plan to bring as many next year, if not more, and are also beginning to take Chinese students to the US.

Liu Teng, vice-president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Xinjiang Council, said the matches have built a new bridge for people-to-people exchanges between Xinjiang and California. He added that the council plans to co-host the second China-US Flying Tigers Friendship and Cooperation Forum with the foundation later this year.

Zhu Changchang and Zhang Shuqin contributed to this story.