In 1971, Chairman Mao Zedong invited to China the U.S. table tennis team, which was in Nagoya, Japan, for the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. Premier Zhou Enlai welcomed the athletes as the first official American guests in the Chinese capital since 1949. The following year, the Chinese team traveled to the United States for a goodwill tour and shared their “Friendship First, Competition Second” motto with Americans.