Table tennis players from Australia and Nantong compete at the China Table Tennis Tongzhou Training Base in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Five table tennis athletes from Australia recently visited the China Table Tennis Tongzhou Training Base in Nantong, Jiangsu province, to face off against the young athletes at the base.

Nantong is well-known as a "city of sports", having produced Olympic champions and world champions like Li Ju and Chen Qi.

"Table tennis is a relatively niche sport in Australia, so we thought of bridging the gap between the two sides and utilizing each other's strengths," said Gu Bing, chairman of the Nantong Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne, who connected with a local Chinese-owned table tennis school and brought them to Nantong for exchanges.

"We are the first organization in Australia to carry out systematic table tennis training, and we have contributed many talents to the local provincial and national teams. Four of the athletes who came this time have made the Australian national team," said Dong Jiawen, the school's founder.

She hopes that children from the school will come to train at the Nantong base in the future and will also offer help to base players studying and training in Australia.

The Nantong Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne, established just half a year ago, is actively trying to promote cooperation and mutual development between the two cities. "We are intensifying contacts to promote the establishment of sister cities, and in addition to table tennis, we are also promoting exchanges and cooperation in sports where Australia excels, such as football, golf, and tennis," Gu said.

He also mentioned that passport holders from Australia and New Zealand can now enjoy 30 days visa-free in China, offering new opportunities for the development of the tourism industry.