BEIJING - With a game of table-tennis, a calligraphy lesson and a walk through Beijing's famous Forbidden City, first lady Michelle Obama kicked off a week of gentle diplomacy Friday, in the company of her Chinese counterpart, plus Obama's mother and two daughters.
Focused on education and youth empowerment, and steering well clear of sensitive topics such as human rights, the three-city tour marks only the third time the U.S. first lady has made an overseas trip without President Obama since the family moved into the White House.
Strong Chinese interest in her visit reflects not only China's fascination with America, but also the unusually high profile of Obama's host, Peng Liyuan, the stylish wife of China's Communist Party leader, and president, Xi Jinping.
Unlike previous leaders' wives, who stayed mostly hidden, Peng, formerly a popular singer, has taken on a public role akin to that of her U.S. counterpart.
Pictures of the Obama family's arrival dominated most front pages here Friday, pushing aside coverage of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, which carried 153 Chinese passengers.
Media have poured over trip details including the eye-watering $8,400 per night rate at the Presidential Suite in the 5-star Westin Hotel, close to the U.S. Embassy, which they are occupying.
First lady Michelle Obama, with her daughters Malia, right, and Sasha, second from right, is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, at the Diaoyutai State guest house in Beijing March 21, 2014.(Photo: Andy Wong AP)
President Xi was on hand Friday evening at the state guesthouse Diaoyutaiave where the first lady was having dinner and watching a show with Peng.
In a brief statement, Xi offered warm greetings to his guests, and noted that he cherishes the 'sound working relationship and personal friendship I have already established with your husband, and we stay in close touch through meetings, phone conversations and correspondence.'
The first lady replied by describing her 'wonderful first day' in the capital.
'We had an opportunity to meet with students, I tried my hand at ping pong -- not so good,' she said. 'And our visit to the Forbidden City is one that we will never forget. Being able to see my mother, who doesn't get to travel internationally often, walk through that ancient city, and to see her excitement and wonder is a moment that I will treasure forever.'
The U.S.-China relationship is often noisy with discord, as the world's two largest economies spar over issues ranging from trade disputes to religious freedom. This week, the White House hopes to promote the value of exchanges between the two countries.
'Her agenda sends a message that the relationship between the United States and China is not just between leaders, it's a relationship between peoples,' Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for communications, said this week.
China's state-run media naturally welcome Obama's avoidance of political issues.
'That approach is right,' said a commentary in the Xinhua news agency Thursday.
'The uniqueness of the role of first ladies is its soft touch and freedom from the knottiness and even ugliness of hard politics,' it said.
The only ugliness on display Friday appeared to be a robot named 'bad boy', which Obama failed to operate with a remote control, but daughter Malia got to move as they toured the robotics class of a Beijing high school.
In her table-tennis outing, Michelle Obama played with a teacher and a student, and said of President Obama: 'My husband plays. He thinks he's better than he really is.'
After Peng welcomed her formally at the school, Obama highlighted the rarity of making an overseas trip with her daughters and mother. That 'three generations' theme is likely to recur and will play well in China's heavily family-oriented society.
China was chosen as the 'relationships between the United States and China couldn't be more important,' said Obama. 'And having the opportunity to travel here, to listen, to learn, to hear more about the education initiatives here in this country and to share my travels with students throughout the United States is a very unique experience, and it's one that I will never forget.'
At a calligraphy class, Obama learned how to write the Chinese character for 'eternal', and joked, 'I'll be here forever until I get it right.'
When Obama admitted to nerves, Peng said in English 'don't be nervous'. After writing a four-character phrase, with adept brush strokes, Peng presented her calligraphy to Obama.
Her hosts appeared keen to reduce the clear height gap with their tall American visitors. The diminutive Peng Liyuan wore prominent heels throughout Friday, even on the unforgiving slabs of the Forbidden City.
At the high school, lanky Lu Yuhong,16, who assisted Obama in writing 'eternal', told journalists he had been selected for the task because he is taller than her, reported Shanghai's Oriental Morning Post newspaper.
The first ladies, and their heavy security detail, caused some traffic jams and tourist grumbles in their visit to the Forbidden City, former residence of China's Emperors, for a whistle-stop tour, in under 45 minutes, through an imperial complex that needs a full day to explore well.
The party then drove past Tiananmen Square, where Peng, a military singer for decades, once serenaded martial-law troops after the June 1989 massacre of pro-democracy protestors.
'The meeting of the two first ladies shows that China is more open and is getting more involved with the international community,' Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, told the China Daily newspaper Friday.
This weekend, Obama will give a speech on education at Peking University, visit the Great Wall outside Beijing, then travel Monday to the central Chinese city of Xi'an, and its famed terracotta warriors. The family hits Chengdu, in the southwest, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Obama will come closest to controversy on her very final scheduled activity - lunch Wednesday at a Tibetan restaurant in Chengdu.
During the past five years, over 130 Tibetans have tried to kill themselves through self-immolation to protest against Chinese rule. Most of them lived in ethnically Tibetan areas of Sichuan province, of which Chengdu is the capital.Contributing: Sunny Yang
Posted by Unknown on Friday, March 21, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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