US to build soft ties with China through First Lady’s visit

BEIJING — United States First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in China yesterday for a week-long visit that will avoid politics and focus on education and people-to-people contacts.

Mrs Obama’s schedule includes a speech to Chinese and American students at Peking University and visits to the cities of Xi’an in the west and Chengdu in the south-west. She is travelling with her mother and two daughters.

Today, she is to spend the day with Madam Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I think this is a very good opportunity to improve China-US relations, as the First Lady can represent the soft side of diplomacy,” said Dr Wang Dong, a political scientist at Peking University’s School of International Studies.

“Michelle Obama herself is accomplished in areas such as women’s rights, children issues and education, and I think members of the Chinese public are anticipating her visit with a positive attitude,” he added.

The First Lady intends to avoid contentious issues such as human rights, trade and cybersecurity, and will instead use her personal stories to express American values, White House officials said.

“Her focus on people-to-people relations, her focus on education and youth empowerment is one that we believe will resonate in China,” Mr Ben Rhodes, a Deputy National Security Adviser, told reporters ahead of the visit.

Mrs Obama and her family are also to visit the Imperial Palace and Great Wall in Beijing, while in Xi’an, she plans to visit ancient city walls and the Terracotta Warriors Museum. Her plans for Chengdu include visiting a panda conservation centre and speaking at a school.

The trip provides an opportunity for President Barack Obama and Mr Xi to cultivate a personal relationship through their wives following their meeting in Sunnylands in California last year, Dr Wang said.

“Such a personal relationship with mutual trust is crucial, as the China-US relationship has entered a more challenging phase.”

Mdm Peng had accompanied her husband on the Sunnylands visit but did not meet Mrs Obama, who had stayed in Washington. Her absence left some Chinese grumbling and the visit allows the First Lady to make up for it.

The trip also gives Mdm Peng unusual prominence in a Chinese official culture that usually keeps leaders’ spouses in the background. A popular folk singer, Mdm Peng was better known than Mr Xi before he became Communist Party leader and President.

“She has a good presence on television,” said Mr Willy Lam, a political analyst at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “This is a formidable soft power China can use for the world to see China is not a monolithic society.”

International Relations Professor Shen Dingli from Fudan University in Shanghai called Mdm Peng a “national asset”. “She is more than qualified for the job,” Prof Shen said.

The Chinese media have compared the dress styles of the two women with side-by-side photos.

The China Daily newspaper devoted a full page to their fashion choices yesterday. Agencies