First Lady Michelle Obama is making a major splash during her first visit to China, transforming a low-profile trip into a diplomatic success, with a smitten Chinese media celebrating the budding relationship between the U.S. first lady and her Chinese counterpart, Peng Liyuan.
The China News Service described the First Lady as “Mrs. Diplomatic,” saying her visit could usher in a creative form of “soft adjustment” in Sino-U.S. ties, while the official Xinhua news agency described the visit as “an unprecedented and historical moment in the chapter of China-U.S. relations.”
On her visit, which will take her to Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu, she will be accompanied by her daughters, Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson. Three generations of women from one family traveling together on the trip is making a big impression in China, where family ties and filial piety are highly esteemed.
There were gushing reports throughout the Chinese press on Friday featuring photographs of the first lady visiting schools and playing ping pong.