First lady promotes 'citizen diplomacy'

US first lady Michelle Obama gives a speech at the Stanford Center at Peking University in Beijing on March 22, 2014. Wang Jing / For China Daily

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and the US. China is currently the fifth most popular destination for Americans studying abroad and the highest number of exchange students in the US is from China.

The US first lady reminded the audience of the "100,000 Strong" initiative – announced by her husband in 2009 – an educational exchange project designed to increase the number and diversity of American students in China. The program has won support from the Chinese government which has committed 10,000 "Bridge scholarships" for American students to study in China.

"Our hope is to build connections between people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds; because it is that diversity that makes our country so vibrant and strong … and our study abroad programs should reflect the true spirit of America to the world," she said.

Obama quoted a Chinese proverb that summarized her points precisely: "It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books." She also used a new phrase – citizen diplomacy – to describe the exchange of information and strengthening of ties among people around the world, not just between heads of states.

Christina Madson, a US exchange student at Peking University, said she found the term "citizen diplomacy", very interesting. The 23-year-old has been studying linguistics in China for 18 months, and talks with domestic students about culture on a regular basis. With more Chinese enterprises going abroad and more international companies entering China, Madson hopes to work in culture exchange after graduation.

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