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Kinling Lo

US President Donald Trump may be bugging Beijing with his tweets but his daughter Ivanka is winning Chinese friends and is set to influence bilateral ties after her formal appointment to the White House.
Chinese analysts said the 35-year-old businesswoman, who confirmed on Wednesday that she would be an unpaid adviser in her father’s administration, played an important role in helping counter her father’s combative approach towards Beijing.

The former model has been on a charm offensive with China, using her children to help woo the Chinese public.
In February, as observers wondered why Trump did not follow precedent and send a personal Lunar New Year greeting to the Chinese community, Ivanka made a surprise visit to the ­Chinese embassy in Washington with her five-year-old daughter, ­Arabella Kushner.

Ivanka also posted a clip online of Arabella holding a Chinese puppet and singing a Lunar New Year song in Putonghua.
Then on Monday, Ivanka ­posted a picture on Instagram of her celebrating her son Theodore’s first birthday by sharing Chinese “long life” noodles, with the caption: “Birthday tradition! #noodlesforlonglife.”

Analysts said Ivanka’s public displays of affection for Chinese culture were proving effective with the Chinese public.
“Ivanka Trump has quite a positive image among Chinese ,” Liu Weidong, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies, said.
“She caters to the emotional needs that the Chinese people have due to the uncertainties of the Sino-US diplomatic ­relationship.”

Fudan University international relations professor Ren ­Xiao said Ivanka’s appointment to the White House could benefit ties between the two countries.
“Donald Trump obviously trusts his daughter and his son-in-law a lot,” Ren said. “The couple is likely to recommend a more respectful and careful approach when dealing with China.”
Mainland state media have also been quick to heap praise on Ivanka, including a strange tweet last month from Xinhua that compared her face with that of Chinese actress Li Bingbing.
“Do you think they look like each other?” the tweet asked.

Xinhua followed up on Tuesday by posting four photos on its website of Ivanka’s visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, with a headline describing her as “elegant, with gracious style”.


Chinese media have used similar terms of endearment to describe Peng Liyuan, the wife of President Xi Jinping, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Britain’s Prince William.
Shanghai University media professor Dai Yuanguang said the words used were “a rather high compliment” and could be seen as goodwill from Beijing just days ahead of next week’s summit between Trump and Xi.


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Capture of Xinhua on Ivanka Trump and Li Bingbing.

ivanka celebrating her son birthday with Ònoodle of long lifeÓ a Chinese tradition, Photo: INSTAGRAM

(FILES) This file photo taken on February 1, 2017 shows US President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka walking to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump on February 8, 2017 lashed out at department store chain Nordstrom over its decision to stop selling his daughter's clothing line."My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by Nordstrom," Trump said in a tweet. "She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!"The retailer, which has about 350 stores in the United States and Canada, said last week it was dropping Ivanka Trump's line -- which includes high-end women's clothing, accessories and shoes -- due to poor sales. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai (front M) and Ivanka Trump (L), daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, attend the Chinese Embassy's New Year reception in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 1, 2017. Photo: Xinhua

Ivanka Trump has taken on a formal role at the White House as an unpaid adviser in her father’s administration. Photo: Xinhua

Ivanka Trump joins father’s administration as unpaid employee

In this Friday, March 17, 2017, photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel listens as Ivanka Trump speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington. Ivanka Trump is planning a trip to Germany to attend a summit on the economic empowerment of women, a senior administration official said Sunday, March 26. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, speaks while meeting with Trump, left, and women small business owners in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Trump’s daughter is joining the White House as an unpaid employee. Photo: Bloomberg

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