Melania Trump Hosts China's First Lady for an Outing that Is Watched for Diplomacy and Style
- On Thursday, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan toured the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, celebrating cultural ties between the U.S. and China while their husbands held private talks at the White House.
- Their meeting marks the first public encounter between the spouses in nearly a decade, as Trump and Peng approach their roles differently; Peng embraces a public schedule while Trump prefers working behind the scenes.
- Inside the museum, the women viewed James McNeill Whistler's "Princess from the Land of Porcelain" in the Peacock Room; children from Hope Chinese School performed folk songs including "Song and Smile" and "Jasmine Flower."
- Every interaction between the two women will be scrutinized for diplomatic clues, with Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, saying, "They definitely add to the grandiosity and the symbolic significance of this trip."
- The Smithsonian, housing more than 46,000 objects, faced a White House directive last year to "celebrate American exceptionalism," though the institution continues returning artifacts, including a silk manuscript from China dating more than 2,000 years old.
82 Articles
82 Articles
Peng Liyuan's conversation in English and without an interpreter with Melania, her stance next to the children's choir and her elegant appearance are interpreted as China's attempt to show a softer and more approachable face to the US and the rest of the world.
Melania Trump surprises with trousers at the state banquet, while Peng Liyuan combines tradition and modernity. The looks send different signals. An analysis.
From fashionable music to language and culture: Peng Liyuan is taking advantage of the visit to Washington to offer a more informal and cultural image of China, in parallel with talks between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. (ANSA)
PENG Liyuan, visiting the US, uses diplomacy and elegance as a powerful tool of soft power to create a more humane and approachable image of China.
China's first lady Peng Liyuan turns soft power on U.S. audience
She chatted with U.S. first lady Melania Trump in English without a translator, and sang along quietly when serenaded by a youth choir, looking effortlessly glamorous in a modern take on a traditional Chinese outfit.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
