MTSU mass-communication alumna Ling Su interviewed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during his recent return to China to celebrate the 40th anniversary of normalizing relations between the nations.

MTSU alumna Su Ling, left, interviews former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for China National Radio in Beijing Dec. 14. (photo courtesy of China National Radio)

Su, a journalist for China National Radio, earned her master’s degree from MTSU in 2009. She interviewed the former president in Beijing Dec. 14, as he visited her home country.

Carter noted that the relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the United States warmed under former President Richard Nixon in 1971 via so-called “ping-pong diplomacy.”

A friendly Chinese invitation to the U.S. Table Tennis Team to visit and play a few matches led to Nixon’s groundbreaking visit in 1972, and Carter expanded relations with China during his term in office.

Su’s interview with Carter was edited into two versions and broadcast throughout China.

During his visit, the former president also endorsed the “100,000 Strong” campaign touted by President Barack Obama, according to a report from UPI. The campaign aims to increase the number of U.S. scholars studying in China to 100,000 in the next four years.

— Gina E. Fann (Gina.Fann@mtsu.edu)