US President Donald Trump has talked tough on Beijing but America’s first family still has big fans in China.
This is largely down to Ivanka Trump, who has helped soften her father’s confrontational approach towards Beijing in the eyes of the Chinese public.
Her children have also featured heavily in the charm offensive. A clip of Ivanka’s daughter Arabella reciting Chinese poetry went viral in China shortly after Trump was elected — some interpreted her command of Mandarin as a sign of the Trumps’ hidden affinity for the country.
In February, after the White House failed to send the customary Lunar New Year greeting to Beijing, Ivanka and her daughter paid a visit to the Chinese embassy in Washington for a reception to celebrate the Year of the Rooster.
The two were welcomed by China’s Ambassador Cui Tiankai, watched a musical performance and enjoyed paper and sugar sculptures — the event was featured in a prime-time newscast in China.
Last month, Ivanka posted a picture of her youngest son, who had just turned one, enjoying a bowl of long-life noodles — a Chinese birthday tradition.
Now with a formal White House role , Ivanka, along with her husband Jared Kushner, is highly likely to be at the table when Presidents Xi Jinping and Trump meet for the very first time in Florida on Thursday.
Business ties
Zhang Baohui, a professor of political science at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said that Beijing has tried to court the US first family to smooth relations with Trump.
