每日英语：Mrs.ObamaTakesStabatPingPongDiplomacy

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.‘ 

每日英语：Mrs. Obama Takes Stab at Ping-Pong Diplomacy,布布扣,bubuko.com