DHAKA: US First Lady Michelle Obama is in China for a week-long visit that includes stops in Beijing and Chengdu.

Michelle is accompanied by her mother and two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan will accompany her on part of her trip.

In a blog, she said she would focus on ‘the power and importance of education’, reports the BBC.

Chinese media described the visit as ‘gentle diplomacy’ and a chance to improve Sino-US ties.

‘A strengthened personal bond between the first families of China and the United States will naturally help generate better understanding and more common ground between Beijing and Washington,’ a Xinhua news agency commentary read.

Michelle is expected to make stops at the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors Museum and the Chengdu Panda Base.

She will also meet students and will deliver a speech at the Stanford Centre at Peking University.

BDST: 1946 HRS, MAR 20, 2014