China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan’s English catches attention during Xi’s US visit. Here’s why

China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan has drawn attention after appearing to chat in English with US First Lady Melania Trump without an interpreter during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington this week. US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump greeted Xi and Peng at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday ahead of the Chinese president’s state visit.

After stepping off the plane, the two couples initially spoke with the help of interpreters. But as they walked along the red carpet behind the two presidents, Peng and Melania appeared to chat directly, smiling and speaking to each other until they reached the cameras for the welcoming ceremony, news agency Reuters reported.

After the national anthems were played, the two first ladies had another brief exchange. Peng appeared to mouth the word “wonderful” as they continued chatting without an interpreter for nearly a minute. The conversation itself was not audible.

China’s first lady and Melania Trump, from the tarmac to the East Room. Tap a stop on the red carpet. According to professional lip-reader Nicola Hickling, who was quoted by a US tabloid, Peng appeared to ask about Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s youngest son and Melania’s only child.

Peng then raised a hand towards her forehead in an apparent gesture about his height. The interpretation comes from lip-reading and cannot independently establish what Peng said. The English exchange was only one part of Peng’s public role during Xi’s visit.

On Thursday, Peng and Melania visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, where a youth choir performed the Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”. The children later told Peng, “Thank you, mother Peng!” China’s ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, highlighted the visit on X, posting a video of Peng applauding the performance.

Peng “encouraged American teenagers to continue studying the Chinese language and culture and to become envoys of friendship between China and the United States”, Xie wrote. Joe Mazur, a geopolitics analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China, said Peng helps put “a more human face” on otherwise hard-nosed diplomacy and generate “feel-good moments” in US-China relations.

Reuters described Peng’s role during Xi’s Washington trip as an exercise in Chinese "soft power", projecting a gentler and more approachable image of China at a time when Beijing and Washington remain divided over issues including trade and Taiwan.

She was a star long before Xi Jinping was. Her life in five tracks. Peng, a renowned soprano, was previously best known in China for her performances with the Chinese military. She has travelled internationally to promote Chinese music and culture and, since Xi became president in 2013, has accompanied him on numerous overseas visits and participated in public-welfare campaigns.

Unlike many wives of previous Chinese leaders, Peng has maintained a relatively visible public profile. Her international work has included education and public-health initiatives. UNESCO appointed her a 'Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education' in 2014, citing her work promoting girls’ and women’s education and addressing inequalities in education.

Peng has also been involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and other public-health campaigns, according to her UNESCO profile. A maths teacher wants English demoted. A famous nationalist editor says no. And AI hangs over it all. Peng’s exchange with Melania is not her first public appearance speaking English.

In 2015, she delivered a speech in English at a Global Education First Initiative event at the United Nations in New York, where she spoke about girls’ education, equality and access to schooling. A recording of the speech was published by People's Daily, while UNESCO has documented Peng’s work as its Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education.

“Education is about women and girls,” she said. “It is important for girls to go to school because they will become their children’s first teacher some day.” People say Xi's wife speaks better English than the First Lady of the United States pic.twitter.com/qYIwRphJnt — The Gulag (@WelcomeTheGulag) September 24, 2026