BEIJING — The English skills of Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, are drawing attention on Chinese social media after she was seen chatting with U.S. first lady Melania Trump without an interpreter during the couple's state visit to the United States.
Peng arrived in Washington with Xi the previous day and was greeted by President Donald Trump and the first lady, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on the 24th. While the two leaders spoke through an interpreter as they walked the red carpet, Peng and Melania Trump walked side by side behind them and talked for about a minute. No interpreter was visible next to the two women.
One U.S. outlet, citing an analysis by a lip-reading expert, reported that Peng appeared to be asking about Barron, Trump's youngest son. Peng raised her hand above her forehead in what looked like a gesture indicating height, and her lips appeared to form the English word "wonderful" during the conversation.
Peng, a former star singer in China, has displayed her English before. She delivered a speech in English at a United Nations event in New York in 2015, and video of that address is circulating again on Chinese social media following the latest trip to the U.S.
Interest has grown further because the episode coincides with an ongoing debate in China over whether English instruction is necessary. Tang Jiafeng, a well-known math instructor, argued this month that English should be dropped as a core school subject, while Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, countered that English ability widens opportunities for international exchange in a global era.
After footage of Peng speaking with Melania Trump without an interpreter spread, some Chinese internet users said it showed why foreign language skills matter. Others went so far as to compare Peng's English with that of the U.S. first lady.
