Ping-pong diplomacy broke the ice in the Sino-US relationship during the early 1970s and now the national sport could help warm the thawing ties between China and Japan.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Japanese diplomatic ties, plans are afoot to organize ping-pong games for players from more than 200 sister cities in the two countries, said Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

"The games will be more about friendship than competition," Chen, who has headed the association in charge of people-to-people diplomacy since 2000, told China Daily recently.