The first lady cited herself and President Obama as beneficiaries of the civil rights movement — a sensitive issue in China, which quashes popular protest.
“Over time, ordinary citizens decided that those laws were unfair,” she said of the 1960s movement to denounce racial segregation in the United States and demand equal rights for African Americans.
“So they held peaceful protests and marches. They called on government officials to change those laws, and they voted to elect new officials who shared their views.
“And slowly but surely, America changed,” she said. “We got rid of those unjust laws. And today, just 50 years later, my husband and I are president and first lady of the United States.”
Since arriving in Beijing on Thursday night for a weeklong trip, the first lady has met with her counterpart Peng Liyuan, visited popular tourist sites such as the Great Wall, and spoken to Chinese students and educators.
US officials have cast the trip as focused on “soft” issues such as education.
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