Michelle Obama will be traveling to China this month along with her daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother Marion Robinson. From March 19-26 the group will visit Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an and the First Lady will speak at two high schools and a university. The purpose of the trip will be to encourage the Chinese populace to earnestly invest in their education and the education of their children. Her talks will connect the importance of education with current global issues, such as poverty and climate change, and encourage students to apply their education to resolving such issues. According to Bree Feng, “her message about the importance of education is likely to be well received in China, where many parents place enormous emphasis on their children’s schooling.”
She will be keeping a blog (see her first post here) during her travels and has encouraged students in both USA and China to follow her online as she imparts advice and recounts conversations, experiences, and observations. The group will also visit a number of “historical and cultural” sites, but specifics were not mentioned.
Source: http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/michelle-obama-to-stress-education-on-china-trip/?ref=china
If anything this appears to be an expensive formal vacation for Michelle Obama. It is a classic example of politics. Have a formal trip, speak at a couple of universities and make a good show that relations with China are good. I doubt that Michelle Obama will be making any major changes in the educational system in China, but I don’t think that that is the true reason for the trip as much as the excuse.
I believe this trip goes in tandem with the US desire to maintain a stable and open relationship with China. Establishing a quality alliance with China helps the US gain presence in Asia and maintain an open airway in terms of international affairs. Evidenced by the recent military agreement and First Lady’s visit, there is an obvious active desire to strengthen the bond with China. Even though Michelle Obama’s visit will not directly impact this relationship, it adds to the friendly communication between both countries.
Well.. this is a bit funny. China already spends a lot of money on education. This is one of the reasons why President Obama keeps on repeating “China, South Korea, and other countries” for their great education systems when he talks about education in the U.S. I think an average family (or middle class) in China spends more money on education than the American family. I am not sure how Michelle Obama’s visit will affect the relationship or lead to any big changes in education in China.
Having the First Lady visit is a big deal diplomatically. So don’t discount it as a mere vacation. And surely any speeches she gives will be aimed at American audiences, using China as a foil. It’s the US that has the bigger problems in its education system.