US First lady Michelle Obama/FILE
“In America, we believe that no matter where you live or how much money your parents have — or what race or religion or ethnicity you are — if you work hard and believe in yourself, then you should have a chance to succeed,” she told hundreds of students at a high school in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Sichuan province.
“We also believe that everyone is equal, and that we all have the right to say what we think and worship as we choose,” she said.
“Now of course, living up to these ideals isn’t always easy,” she added.
Sichuan and other provinces neighbouring Tibet are home to a minority of Tibetans, an ethnic group that rights activists say faces religious and cultural repression, underscored by more than 120 self-immolation protests by Tibetans in recent years.
China rejects such criticism and blames the acts on separatist forces led by the Tibetan spiritual leader-in-exile and Nobel peace laureate, the Dalai Lama.
Obama, who is travelling with her mother and daughters, is scheduled on Wednesday to eat at a Tibetan restaurant in Chengdu, according to a White House itinerary.
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