BEIJING — Michelle Obama plans to avoid politics and focus on education and people-to-people contacts on her first visit to China.
Her schedule over the next week includes a speech to Chinese and American students at Peking University and visits to the cities of Xi’an in the west and Chengdu in the southwest.
She arrived Thursday, traveling with her mother and two daughters on the seven-day, three-city visit. On Friday, she is to spend the day with Peng Liyuan, the wife of China’s president, Xi Jinping.
‘‘I think this is a very good opportunity to improve the China-US relations, as the first lady can represent the soft side of diplomacy,’’ said Wang Dong, a political scientist at Peking University.
Obama intends to avoid contentious issues such as human rights, trade, and cybersecurity, according to White House officials. On Tuesday, she is to visit a high school.
‘‘Her focus on people-to-people relations, her focus on education and youth empowerment is one that we believe will resonate in China,’’ said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser.
Obama and her family will also visit the Great Wall in Beijing. In Chendgu, she will visit a panda conservation center.
The trip provides an opportunity for President Obama and President Xi Jinping to cultivate a personal relationship through their wives following their meeting in California last year, Wang said.