A China-U.S. table tennis friendly match is pictured at Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai, east China, April 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

　　In 1971, a U.S. table tennis team visited Beijing, a breakthrough that thawed more than two decades of estrangement, and helped pave the way for then U.S. President Richard Nixon's landmark visit to China in 1972, and later the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1979. Its impact extended far beyond the bilateral sphere, profoundly reshaping the global landscape.

　　More than half a century on, Xi referred to the story not merely as a historical memory, but as a reminder of the profound influence stable China-U.S. relations can have on the wider world.

　　In a 2024 meeting with Antony Blinken, former U.S. Secretary of State, Xi invoked a concept inspired by traditional Chinese culture -- "tong qiu gong ji" ("working together for the common good on the same planet").

　　"Planet Earth is only this big, and humanity is faced with so many common challenges," Xi said. "As an old Chinese saying goes, 'Passengers in the same boat should help each other.' Today, as I see it, 'dwellers of the same planet should help each other'."

　　During their meeting in Busan, Trump also acknowledged the importance of cooperation between the two countries, saying that China and the United States can get many great things done for the world and have many years of success.

　　"There is no geopolitical relationship more important than the China-U.S. bilateral relationship ... with by far the largest impact on global affairs," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.