The Role of U.S. First Ladies in Advancing the Diplomatic Process During State Visits
This article introduces the soft power and diplomatic role played by U.S. First Ladies during state visits and White House receptions, reviewing historical details of receptions for Chinese leaders and their spouses from the Carter, Nixon, and Obama eras to the Trump era.
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Whenever a foreign head of state visits the White House, numerous ceremonial activities, including state dinners, are coordinated by the Office of the First Lady. First Ladies also use their ingenuity to add highlights to busy state affairs. The menu I have here, written in both Chinese and English, is from the state dinner hosted by President Jimmy Carter on January 29, 1979, for Deng Xiaoping, then First Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and his wife, Zhuo Lin. First Lady Rosalynn Carter meticulously prepared the menu, which was written in calligraphy in both Chinese and English. The appetizer was seafood rolls, the main course was roasted veal tenderloin, and dessert included chocolate and coffee. After the state dinner, Rosalynn arranged for the guests to watch a performance at the Kennedy Center.
The diplomatic work of the First Lady is also reflected in her attire. In 1972, President Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China, and accompanying him, First Lady Pat Nixon specifically wore a red dress, which symbolizes joy. It was also because Pat told Zhou Enlai that she thought pandas were cute that Zhou promised on the spot to gift two pandas, thus initiating U.S.-China panda diplomacy. First Lady diplomacy requires thoughtfulness, combining the background and culture of the visiting guests.
In September 2015, at the invitation of President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama took Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, to the Washington Zoo to name a panda cub that had been born four weeks earlier. In April 2017, President Trump invited Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan to the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for a summit. First Lady Melania Trump took Peng Liyuan to visit the nearby Bak Middle School of the Arts, which teaches music, dance, and other art courses.
Peng Liyuan once studied at the China Conservatory of Music. Anita McBride has served in the White House since the Reagan administration and once served as Chief of Staff to former First Lady Laura Bush.
On Thursday, after the two presidents begin their bilateral talks, First Lady Melania will take Peng Liyuan to visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, and a state dinner will be held in the East Room of the White House in the evening.
Reported by VOA reporter Huang Yaoyi from the White House.