On February 27, 2022, Ambassador Qin Gang met with US National Basketball Association Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss and NBA legendary player Robert Horry. Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Zhang Ping attended the meeting.

Ambassador Qin thanked the host’s invitation and said that basketball is not only a popular sport for Chinese and American people, but also a common language and important bond that promotes mutual understanding and friendship between them, especially between the young people.

Over the years, NBA and Los Angeles Lakers have been loved by Chinese fans, and Lakers have many supporters in China. Under the new circumstances, China hopes that NBA and Lakers will continue to play a positive role and make greater contributions to China-US people-to-people exchanges and the development of basketball in China.

Mark Tatum said that President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden visited Los Angeles in 2012 and watched a Lakers game together, which greatly advanced NBA's exchanges and cooperation with China and illustrated sport and cultural exchanges between the US and China. In the future, NBA and Los Angeles Lakers are willing to serve as a bridge for the friendship and cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

After the meeting, Los Angeles Lakers presented Ambassador Qin with Lakers jersey No.43, which stands for the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations and of the first visit by an NBA team — Washington Bullets — to China.

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