Chinese Consul General Zhang Qiyue throws out the first pitch before the New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game on July 25 at Citi Field in New York. JACK FREIFELDER / CHINA DAILY

With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to the United States planned for September, Zhang Qiyue, China’s consul general in New York, emphasized how sports have helped bring the two countries together.

On July 25 at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, the home of the New York Mets, Zhang and other Chinese community leaders were honored as part of an annual celebration of Chinese culture hosted by the hometown baseball club.

“This year is a very important year, as the Chinese President Xi Jinping is coming to visit,” Zhang said. “He will be here in September, which will be very soon. As we know, the Sino-US relations have been official for 37 years, but this official relationship started with a ping-pong game. That shows the importance of sports in getting countries and people together.

“Baseball is one of the platforms to create a good environment so that people understand a little bit more about the culture of China and Asia as well,” she said.

An Evening of Chinese Culture was hosted by the Mets and the Sino-American Friendship Association.

The event, now in its eighth year, featured an on-field award presentation honoring six individuals, a gift-giving ceremony with a team official, and a video ad campaign displaying information about China throughout the stadium during the game.

Other community leaders joining Zhang at the game between the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers included Peter Zhang, president of the Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA); Li Li, executive vice-president of SAFA; Xue Yaping, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York, and Margaret Lam of the New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce.

A number of elected officials also attended the game, including US Congresswoman Grace Meng; Assemblymen Ron Kim and Michael G DenDekker; and a representative from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.

Li, who is also the president of the Sino-American Culture & Arts Foundation, said that in the 20-plus years since SAFA's founding, the organization has learned a lot through community outreach efforts, especially about the power of sports as a cultural bridge, she said.

SAFA, which was established in 1992, in an independent non-profit that aims to develop and strengthen mutual understanding between the US and China.

David Newman, senior vice-president of marketing and communications for the Mets, said: “All of us at the Mets are really excited about being in Queens. It’s the most diverse borough in the most diverse city on the planet, so we take our responsibility in the community very seriously.

“And right here in our backyard everyone knows we have a tremendous Asian population,” he said.

Zhang threw out the ceremonial first pitch, lofting the ball to Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki.

“Right now we are building an even better relationship with a new type of cooperation, and we hope that with this relationship there will be more people-to-people exchange and more of a cultural exchange so that a better understanding will be built,” Zhang said.

The Mets swung the bat well, beating the Dodgers, 15-2.