Subnational ties forge lasting bonds

Pickleball diplomacy

Much like how Ping-Pong Diplomacy helped reopen China-US ties in the 1970s, Sullivan is betting on pickleball as a universal language connecting young people across cultures.

His philosophy of the initiative is that international relations are built "one relationship, one rally at a time".

The initiative began in April 2025, when more than 30 Montgomery County student-athletes flew to Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai for 12 days of shared play, school visits and cultural exchanges. Shenzhen returned the visit that August.

In February, a Shanghai delegation arrived in Maryland, followed by a group of students from Montgomery County Public Schools traveling to China in return, visiting Shenzhen, Shangyou, Hebi and Beijing.

These cities have either established sister-city ties with US counterparts or actively participated in people-to-people exchange initiatives, particularly youth and sports diplomacy.

"What was so amazing about this trip was that it occurred during Spring Festival," said Sullivan, adding that the students watched robots dance in Shenzhen and were "fascinated" by the trip. He also told the students what that city represents: a small fishing village transformed into a global technology hub.

"I believe in the power of sport and the power of pickleball to bring people together," Sullivan said. "I hope to continue to return to China to see different cities, both the big ones and the small villages as well. It really all speaks to the culture of China, and I think it gives us a different perspective."

The program is already drawing interest from Chinese cities. At a recent China-US Sister Cities Summit in San Francisco, representatives from Guilin and Xi'an extended invitations to explore pickleball exchanges of their own.

Beyond pickleball, Chinese-language learning is also turning cultural exchanges into personal connections.

A new perspective

Ellie Phelps had studied Chinese since she was six years old. The language felt abstract and disconnected, with no real friendships, no personal stakes, no compelling reason to continue. Her mother persuaded her to join a summer program run by the Helen Foster Snow Foundation. Today she is at Tianjin University on a Fulbright Scholarship and has a Chinese boyfriend.

"She talks about how transformative this experience has been for her life," said Eric Chipman, executive director at the Helen Foster Snow Foundation in Utah.

The foundation supports 12,000 Utah public school students who learn Chinese for half of the school day. This year, about 300 US students from kindergarten through university level will travel to the cities of Shenzhen and Beijing as well as the provinces of Hainan, Shaanxi and Qinghai.

The foundation's mission is not only language acquisition, but also people-to-people exchanges, said Chipman. "What I believe are the heart and core of exchange trips are real relationships, real meaningful connections," he said. He is actively seeking provincial and municipal partners to scale the programs into school curricula.

In Tacoma, Lincoln High School's partnership with the Affiliated High School of Fuzhou Institute of Education has produced more than 200 student and faculty exchanges since the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in 2008.