米歇尔•奥巴马在华开启“首席妈妈”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.

美国第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马在本周访华时可能会避开人权等极具争议的问题，但她此次访华将帮助深化奥巴马的首要外交政策——增进中美关系。

此次为期一周的访问是奥巴马夫人第三次单独出访外国，她已经打造了一个自称“首席妈妈执行官”的形象，表示她将大量精力都放在抚养两个女儿——15岁的马莉娅和12岁的萨沙身上，并十分关注诸如消除儿童肥胖等国内政策问题，这些都极具米歇尔的个人特色。

她开玩笑地说，在她丈夫在白宫任职期间，她的准则是“无害”。

谨遵这一宗旨，美国政府表示奥巴马夫人访华的重点将集中在两国的文化联系以及“教育的作用和重要性”之上。

但奥巴马夫人的这次旅行将受到中国媒体的密切关注，将具有非常重要的象征意义。

前第一夫人劳拉·布什（Laura Bush）的幕僚长麦克布赖德（Anita McBride)）表示：“对总统来说，夫人是替代总统访问别国的最佳人选。”

麦克布赖德说，即使中国第一夫人彭丽媛与奥巴马夫人会面时讨论的内容对当前紧迫的双边问题关系不大，但是她们的会面仍会传递出强烈的外交信息。

“那都是传递两国友谊的形象。”她说。

奥巴马夫人还将访问学校，并带她女儿参观著名的兵马俑。

自2009就职以来，美国总统奥巴马始终将增强中美两国关系置于外交的首位，而这对于美俄就乌克兰危机而产生的严重隔阂具有更加重要的意义。

前第一夫人劳拉·布什和希拉里·克林顿曝光在国际聚光灯下时，都大谈敏感的国外人权问题。

但对于米歇尔·奥巴马——这位毕业于哈佛大学的律师来说并不可能，她不会重蹈希拉里的覆辙。

“作为第一夫人，她选择了一个更为传统的非对抗性角色，”美国维吉尼亚州玛丽鲍尔温大学政治学家凡阿森德夫特(Laura van Assendelft)称，“其他第一夫人都打破了界限，而米歇尔·奥巴马并未试图挑战任何界限。”

作为第一夫人，米歇尔于2010年前往墨西哥旅行，次年前往非洲。而其携女儿萨沙于2010年前往西班牙的非公事旅行遭到批判，称其使用的安全保障措施花费了纳税人的一大笔钱。

麦克布赖德说，目前她丈夫正处于第二任期内，无需担心竞选问题，米歇尔或将进行更多的别国访问，以助其夫推进外交政策。

现在在华盛顿美国大学的麦克布赖德说：“你开始考虑离开后想留下些什么。”

劳拉·布什在与麦克布赖德共事的四年间，共前往67个国家谈论人权和全球健康问题，其中包括前往泰国边镇湄拉的难民营，引起人们对难民营条件的关注。

三代女性

美国威尔逊中心“基辛格中美关系研究所”主任戴博（Robert Daly）称，奥巴马夫人带着她的女儿们以及她的母亲玛丽安·罗宾逊（Marian Robinson）一同访华，将传达出另一个强有力的信息。

罗宾逊和奥巴马一家共同居住在白宫。

“三代人住在同一屋檐下在中国是一个大家庭，这是中国文化的基石之一，”戴博说，“这在中国媒体眼中是一个非常好的形象。”

他说，一家三代四位健康的女性形象将成为妇女机遇平等的最佳诠释，一改中国人眼中美国人不孝顺老人的形象。

奥巴马夫人访华后，她丈夫将于四月底访问亚洲的盟友日本、韩国、马来西亚和菲律宾，所到国家均与中国有一触即发的海上争端问题。

前布什政府中国问题顾问丹·布卢门撒尔（Dan Blumenthal）称，在总统出访前，美国政府希望米歇尔·奥巴马的出访“和谐而轻快”。

现任美国企业研究所智囊团亚洲研究部主任的布卢门撒尔称：“只要做她自己，这次访问便成功了。她无需传递任何敏感信息。”