An upcoming trip to China by US First Lady Michelle Obama will demonstrate intimacy with China, draw the two nations closer and greatly increase the Chinese public's curiosity about the US first family, observers have said.
The White House announced on Monday that the first lady will visit China from March 19 through 26, accompanied by her mother, Marian Robinson, and daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama.
She will visit Beijing from March 20-23, Xi'an on March 24 and Chengdu from March 25-26. She will visit a university and a high school in Beijing, and a high school in Chengdu, the Office of the First Lady said in a statement.
During her visit, Michelle Obama "will be focusing on the power and importance of education, both in her own life and in the lives of young people in both countries," the statement said.
"She will also be visiting important historical and cultural sites in China, and will share with students in the US the stories of the students she meets in China, as well as interesting facts about China's history and culture -emphasizing the importance of students learning from one another globally," it added.
Michelle Obama did not accompany her husband on his China visit in 2009. She also failed to meet President Xi Jinping and China's first lady Peng Liyuan at the Sunnylands estate in California in June 2013 due to a scheduling conflict.
The US first lady wrote a letter to Peng welcoming her to the United States, in which she said she regretted missing Peng but hoped to have the chance to visit China with her daughters and "meet Peng sometime soon".
The younger Obama daughter, Sasha, might be more familiar with China than her parents. She has studied Chinese in school and practiced her Chinese with former Chinese President Hu Jintao when Hu visited the US in 2011.
Sasha, then 9-years-old, attended Hu's welcome ceremony on the White House lawn with friends, waving a Chinese flag excitedly as her father and Hu walked around the grounds. Hu talked with her at the ceremony and during the following state banquet.
Niu Jun, a professor of US studies at Peking University, said a trip by Michele Obama and her daughters anywhere is an unusual move, which entails high security costs. "Such a trip to China is even more unusual."
He said it is hard to tell when the trip was decided or how much it is related to politics. "But for sure it is hard to separate it from Washington's diplomatic work."
US President Barack Obama has omitted China from his Asia trip in April, which will take him to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. Niu said the China trip by Obama's family would "show intimacy with China".
"Besides, the appearance of Mrs Obama and her daughters at this moment demonstrates support to China. The arrangement tells the world it is safe to travel in China."
He was referring to Saturday's terrorist attack at Kunming Railway Station in Yunnan province, which left 29 dead and more
than 130 injured. Experts said the terrorists aim to spread horror in China.
Niu said the Obama visit will greatly increase the Chinese public's interest and curiosity in the US first family.
"It will also draw the two nations closer and reduce some people's negative emotions against the US, which were stirred up by Washington's pivot to the Pacific."
Shi Yinhong, a scholar of US studies at Renmin University of China, said the visit is a natural arrangement as cooperation between Beijing and Washington gets deeper and more comprehensive.
"It is a matter of course for Mrs Obama to take her daughters to look at one of the world's most important countries."
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