No first ladies' summit meeting
Source: AFP |
June 9, 2013, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE leaders of the United States and China on Friday held their first summit at a California retreat, but the highly-anticipated meeting of their glamorous wives will have to wait.
US First Lady Michelle Obama is spending the weekend in Washington, her office said without further explanation, leaving Peng Liyuan, a popular soprano long more famous than her husband President Xi Jinping, to find her own plans.
Chinese first ladies have never before been thrust into the limelight. But Peng has traveled with her husband on all of his trips so far, from Russia to Latin America. Her wardrobe in Moscow sparked a frenzy on Chinese social media, while in Mexico last week, she toured television studios with Angelica Rivera, the telenovela star married to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
People-watchers had hoped that Michelle Obama and Peng - both known for their sense of style - would bring a touch of glamor to Sunnylands But the White House insisted that Obama's absence had not upset Beijing.
"When the meeting was scheduled, the Chinese government inquired about Mrs Obama's plans and fully understood that she was not available to travel to California," an official said.
In accordance with White House protocol, Michelle Obama travels with her husband on major trips abroad and welcomes the spouses of heads of state to the White House.
US First Lady Michelle Obama is spending the weekend in Washington, her office said without further explanation, leaving Peng Liyuan, a popular soprano long more famous than her husband President Xi Jinping, to find her own plans.
Chinese first ladies have never before been thrust into the limelight. But Peng has traveled with her husband on all of his trips so far, from Russia to Latin America. Her wardrobe in Moscow sparked a frenzy on Chinese social media, while in Mexico last week, she toured television studios with Angelica Rivera, the telenovela star married to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
People-watchers had hoped that Michelle Obama and Peng - both known for their sense of style - would bring a touch of glamor to Sunnylands But the White House insisted that Obama's absence had not upset Beijing.
"When the meeting was scheduled, the Chinese government inquired about Mrs Obama's plans and fully understood that she was not available to travel to California," an official said.
In accordance with White House protocol, Michelle Obama travels with her husband on major trips abroad and welcomes the spouses of heads of state to the White House.
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