China First Lady Peng Liyuan Draws Notice for English Chat With Melania Trump

China's First Lady Peng Liyuan drew public attention after appearing to chat in English with US First Lady Melania Trump without an interpreter during a state visit to Washington. US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump greeted Xi Jinping and Peng at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday. After stepping off the plane, the two couples initially used interpreters, but Peng and Melania appeared to chat directly as they walked along the red carpet behind the presidents. After national anthems were played, the two first ladies had another brief exchange where Peng appeared to mouth the word "wonderful" while continuing to chat for nearly a minute without an interpreter. Professional lip-reader Nicola Hickling stated that Peng appeared to ask about Barron Trump and made a gesture about his height, though this interpretation cannot be independently verified. On Thursday, Peng and Melania visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art where a youth choir performed the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower" and children told Peng, "Thank you, mother Peng!" China's ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, posted a video on X of Peng applauding the performance and encouraging American teenagers to study Chinese language and culture. Joe Mazur, a geopolitics analyst at Trivium China, said Peng helps put a human face on diplomacy. Reuters described the role as an exercise in Chinese soft power. Peng is a renowned soprano who previously performed with the Chinese military and has accompanied Xi on overseas visits since 2013. UNESCO appointed her a Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls' and Women's Education in 2014, and she has also worked on HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns. In 2015, Peng delivered a speech in English at a United Nations event in New York about girls' education. Meanwhile, China is currently debating the role of English in schools, after maths teacher Tang Jiafeng recently called for English to lose its status as a core school subject, while former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin argued that foreign language skills remain important.