Michelle Obama has ended her weeklong trip to China with a Tibetan theme, having lunch in a Tibetan restaurant, meeting students who presented her with a Tibetan silk scarf and tapping Tibetan prayer wheels.
Her staff said the restaurant choice today in Chengdu city in southwest Sichuan province was in accordance with the American first lady's interest in the rights of minorities in China.
The rights of Tibetans is a touchy issue between the Chinese and US governments.
President Barack Obama met with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama last month over the objections of Beijing, who reviles him as a separatist.
This morning, Michelle, her mother and daughters visited pandas at the Chengdu Panda Base. She will return to the US later today.
