U.S. first lady Michelle Obama took ping-pong diplomacy to a new level on Friday on her weeklong tour of China as the two countries try a new tactic to build trust in a often tense relationship.
diplomacy：外交 tactic：策略，战略
More than 40 years after the traditional Chinese game restarted the two countries' diplomatic relations, it was again called upon during Mrs. Obama's visit.
Accompanied by her mother and two daughters, the U.S. first lady was escorted around the landmark Forbidden City by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a meeting experts say is aimed at softening the U.S.'s image here. The group stopped at a prestigious Beijing high school, where Mrs. Obama picked up a ping-pong paddle and volleyed with a student and an instructor as Ms. Peng looked on.
escort：护送，陪同 prestigious：久负盛名的，有威望的 volley：抽射，截击
'My husband plays. He thinks he's better than he really is,' Mrs. Obama told the students and staff gathered to watch.
In the eveining, before a private dinner and performance, Mrs. Obama met for tea with Mrs. Peng and Mr. Xi, who said he thanked the U.S. for sending a 'heavy-weight ambassador.'
The trip, which has been billed by White House advisers as personal and not political, comes at a time when the two countries have plenty of squabbles, from regional territorial disputes to other disagreements over the value of China's currency and human rights. But Mrs. Obama's aides have said she will avoid bringing up any sensitive subjects.
squabble：争吵，口角 territorial：地方的，领土的
Mutual suspicion between the two countries has been deepening, according to a 2013 survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center. Only 37% of people in the U.S. view China favorably, similar to the 40% of Chinese who hold a positive view of the U.S., the survey found, noting that for both countries, the percentages of favorable views have declined since Pew asked the questions in 2008.
Experts on bilateral relations say the meeting between the two first ladies has the potential to be more effective at warming ties than a meeting of their husbands. No other president's spouse has made a solo visit with a Chinese first lady.
bilateral：双方的
Mr. Xi and President Barack Obama 'have jobs and more problems than they know how to handle with really fierce politics in their own countries to deal with,' said James McGregor, Greater China chairman at consultancy APCO Worldwide. 'If their wives can connect as human beings, that's an important channel that brings the human side into that relationship between Zhongnanhai and the White House.'
Experts also expect that the tour will help China's push in recent years to create a softer image overseas. As its economy grows and domestic companies expand globally, China's leaders have begun to recognize the importance of appearing accessible on the international stage.
accessible：可接近的，可理解的
The country has built movie studios in the hopes that its films can rival Hollywood's to reach a global audience and its state-run news agency has expanded its U.S. office in the heart of New York's Times Square. President Xi Jinping has packed his overseas travel schedule in his first year in office.
But despite all its efforts, some say China's attempts have had little apparent success, said Chu Shulong, an expert on international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. 'We have been puzzled as to why there has been so little progress,' said Mr. Chu.
The U.S. commands a 63% favorable rating around the world, compared with 50% for China, according to the Pew survey, of around 38,000 people in 39 countries, with respondents citing a widespread distaste for China's military and human-rights policies.
For the U.S., the hope is that the image of the popular Mrs. Obama can help improve its perception in a country where Washington is often viewed as an instigator of conflict set on containing China's rise on the world stage.
Pictures of Mrs. Obama attempting Chinese calligraphy with Ms. Peng and online discussion of fashion picks by the two women go a long way toward creating better ties, said Jin Canrong, a professor of international studies at Beijing's Renmin University.
Others note that China's soft-power battle is likely to be an uphill climb, but say the meeting between the first ladies is nevertheless a vast contrast from 1971, when the U.S. had no formal diplomatic ties with China and relied on the U.S. table tennis delegation to visit the country, coining the term 'ping-pong diplomacy.'
'China is really learning about image making,' said Mr. McGregor. '[For the two presidents] it's hard to be humans with each other. The ideological DNA and the political DNA between the two countries are so different, even if they did like each other, if they look too friendly they'll be bashed by their constituencies. But their wives can be human and get along.'