First ladies Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a new front in US-China exchanges this week, with their unusually frequent and spontaneous interactions putting a more personal face on ties during the presidential summit in Washington.
The pair charted a parallel path of soft power diplomacy – sharing conversations, cultural outings and moments of apparent warmth during a visit otherwise shadowed by trade tensions, as well as artificial intelligence and other strategic issues.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Peng and Trump’s cultural exchanges had “brought the hearts of the two peoples closer”, according to a statement by the ministry on Saturday.