America’s first lady Michelle Obama has arrived in China with her mother and two daughters for the start of a much-anticipated week-long trip.<br /><br />Beginning in Beijing, the visit will be used to promote education and to strengthen cultural ties between the world’s two largest economies.<br /><br />She will spend part of the tour with her Chinese counterpart, Peng Liyuan. <br /><br />But, the White House has stressed her trip will be “non-political” and she is expected to avoid more sensitive topics, such as trade and China’s human rights record.<br /><br />As well as indulging in the popular national pastime of ping pong, the first lady is likely to visit the Great Wall of China and will give a speech at the Stanford Centre at Peking University during her trip.<br /><br />China’s official news agency Xinhua said the tour was “especially meaningful”, given tensions in relations between the two countries.<br /><br />Michelle Obama also met Chinese president, Xi Jinping. <br /><br />Although hard political discussion may not be on Michelle Obama’s agenda, she is expected to attempt to build goodwill through soft diplomacy.
