米歇爾•奧巴馬在華開啓“首席媽媽”模式
US first lady Michelle Obama is expected to steer clear of controversial issues such as human rights when she visits China this week, but her trip could help advance a top item on her husband's foreign policy agenda: deepening Washington's ties with Beijing.
The week-long trip marks only the third foreign solo trip for Obama, who has cultivated a self-described "mom in chief" image, putting her energy into raising her daughters Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, and signature domestic policy issues such as combating childhood obesity.
She has joked that her motto during her husband's White House tenure has been to "do no harm."
In keeping with that cautious approach, the White House said Obama's message on the trip will focus on cultural ties between the two countries and "the power and importance of education" for young people in both countries.
But her trip, which will be front-page news in China and closely parsed by media, will carry important symbolic value.
"There's no better surrogate for a president overseas than their spouse," said Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to former first lady Laura Bush.
McBride said Obama's visit with Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan can send a powerful diplomatic message, even if what they discuss has little to do with pressing bilateral issues.
"Those are images that convey a relationship," she said.
Obama will also visit with students and schools, and take her daughters to see the famous Terracotta Warriors.
Since taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama has put a high priority on bolstering the US relationship with China. That goal could take on even greater significance given the deep rift has opened up between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
Former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton used their time in the international spotlight to forcefully elevate tough questions about human rights abroad.
But it is unlikely that Michelle Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer, will follow in their path.
"She has chosen a more traditional, non-confrontational role as a first lady," said Laura van Assendelft, a political scientist at Mary Baldwin College. "Other first ladies have pushed those boundaries. Michelle Obama is not pushing any boundaries."
As first lady, Obama traveled to Mexico in 2010 and to Africa the following year. A private trip to Spain in 2010 with daughter Sasha backfired when she was criticized for spending taxpayer funds on security for what amounted to a holiday.
Now that her husband is in his second term, and does not have to worry about being reelected again, Michelle Obama may take more foreign trips to advance policy goals, McBride said.
"You begin thinking about what you want to leave behind," said McBride, now at American University in Washington.
Laura Bush traveled to 67 countries to talk about human rights and global health issues during the four years that McBride worked with her, including a notable visit to a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border to shine a spotlight on conditions there.
THREE GENERATIONS
Obama will deliver another strong, if unspoken, message by taking her daughters and her mother, Marian Robinson, with her to China, said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.
Robinson lives with the Obama family in the White House.
"The Chinese are very big on three generations under one roof. That is one of the cornerstones of their culture," Daly said. "That will play very well in the Chinese media."
Pictures of the three generations of four strong women will make a statement about women's equality and opportunity, and shatter a stereotype long held by Chinese about how Americans mistreat their elders, he added.
Obama's visit comes before her husband visits Asian allies Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines in late April, a trip where the maritime dispute with China is expected to loom large.
Ahead of the president's trip, the White House will want "sweetness and light" from Michelle Obama's China visit, said Dan Blumenthal, an adviser on China issues in the former George W. Bush administration.
"She can just be who she is, and it's a win. She doesn't have to carry a tough message," said Blumenthal, now director of Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute think tank.美國第一夫人米歇爾·奧巴馬在本週訪華時可能會避開人權等極具爭議的問題，但她此次訪華將幫助深化奧巴馬的首要外交政策——增進中美關係。
此次爲期一週的訪問是奧巴馬伕人第三次單獨出訪外國，她已經打造了一個自稱“首席媽媽執行官”的形象，表示她將大量精力都放在撫養兩個女兒——15歲的馬莉婭和12歲的薩沙身上，並十分關注諸如消除兒童肥胖等國內政策問題，這些都極具米歇爾的個人特色。
她開玩笑地說，在她丈夫在白宮任職期間，她的準則是“無害”。
謹遵這一宗旨，美國政府表示奧巴馬伕人訪華的重點將集中在兩國的文化聯繫以及“教育的作用和重要性”之上。
但奧巴馬伕人的這次旅行將受到中國媒體的密切關注，將具有非常重要的象徵意義。
前第一夫人勞拉·布什（Laura Bush）的幕僚長麥克布賴德（Anita McBride)）表示：“對總統來說，夫人是替代總統訪問別國的最佳人選。”
麥克布賴德說，即使中國第一夫人彭麗媛與奧巴馬伕人會面時討論的內容對當前緊迫的雙邊問題關係不大，但是她們的會面仍會傳遞出強烈的外交信息。
“那都是傳遞兩國友誼的形象。”她說。
奧巴馬伕人還將訪問學校，並帶她女兒參觀著名的兵馬俑。
自2009就職以來，美國總統奧巴馬始終將增強中美兩國關係置於外交的首位，而這對於美俄就烏克蘭危機而產生的嚴重隔閡具有更加重要的意義。
前第一夫人勞拉·布什和希拉里·克林頓曝光在國際聚光燈下時，都大談敏感的國外人權問題。
但對於米歇爾·奧巴馬——這位畢業於哈佛大學的律師來說並不可能，她不會重蹈希拉里的覆轍。
“作爲第一夫人，她選擇了一個更爲傳統的非對抗性角色，”美國維吉尼亞州瑪麗鮑爾溫大學政治學家凡阿森德夫特(Laura van Assendelft)稱，“其他第一夫人都打破了界限，而米歇爾·奧巴馬並未試圖挑戰任何界限。”
作爲第一夫人，米歇爾於2010年前往墨西哥旅行，次年前往非洲。而其攜女兒薩沙於2010年前往西班牙的非公事旅行遭到批判，稱其使用的安全保障措施花費了納稅人的一大筆錢。
麥克布賴德說，目前她丈夫正處於第二任期內，無需擔心競選問題，米歇爾或將進行更多的別國訪問，以助其夫推進外交政策。
現在在華盛頓美國大學的麥克布賴德說：“你開始考慮離開後想留下些什麼。”
勞拉·布什在與麥克布賴德共事的四年間，共前往67個國家談論人權和全球健康問題，其中包括前往泰國邊鎮湄拉的難民營，引起人們對難民營條件的關注。
三代女性
美國威爾遜中心“基辛格中美關係研究所”主任戴博（Robert Daly）稱，奧巴馬伕人帶着她的女兒們以及她的母親瑪麗安·羅賓遜（Marian Robinson）一同訪華，將傳達出另一個強有力的信息。
羅賓遜和奧巴馬一家共同居住在白宮。
“三代人住在同一屋檐下在中國是一個大家庭，這是中國文化的基石之一，”戴博說，“這在中國媒體眼中是一個非常好的形象。”
他說，一家三代四位健康的女性形象將成爲婦女機遇平等的最佳詮釋，一改中國人眼中美國人不孝順老人的形象。
奧巴馬伕人訪華後，她丈夫將於四月底訪問亞洲的盟友日本、韓國、馬來西亞和菲律賓，所到國家均與中國有一觸即發的海上爭端問題。
前布什政府中國問題顧問丹·布盧門撒爾（Dan Blumenthal）稱，在總統出訪前，美國政府希望米歇爾·奧巴馬的出訪“和諧而輕快”。
現任美國企業研究所智囊團亞洲研究部主任的布盧門撒爾稱：“只要做她自己，這次訪問便成功了。她無需傳遞任何敏感信息。”
