In attempts to start good relations with China, Ivanka Tump and Jared Kushner met with Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiangkai. The ambassador noted that the discussions went well.
The President's 5-year-old granddaughter, Arabella, was also in attendance and both members of the presidential family played with puppets, admired crafts, and listened to traditional music.
The visit from the presidential family was done in the hopes of bridging a gap after President Donald Trump refused to send a personal New Year's greeting to the embassy.
The relations between China and the U.S. was tarnished after President Trump declared his opposition to the one-China policy. The American president has also accused China of controlling the yuan.
However, the visit signified that the White House would like to remain diplomatic with China.
Dennis Wilder, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, said that the strategy is similar to the one done by the last Bush administration. Former President George H. W. Bush has personal connections with Chinese officials.
Wilder said, "I predict very direct communication from the White House to Zhongnanhai."
The former CIA official observed that Ivanka's visit made the Chinese leadership "extremely pleased because it advanced the personal connection to President Trump and his family."
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China would want to make progress with the country's relationship with the U.S.
In Canberra, Wang told reporters, "In the past four decades, there has never been a shortage of tough or sometimes even irrational statements on China-U.S. relations."
He added, "But such statements aside, the China-U.S. relationship has defied all kinds of difficulties and has been moving forward continuously."
An expert commented that non-traditional approaches are necessary to deal with an unconventional leader like Trump.
Pang Zhongying, a U.S. affairs expert at Renmin University in Beijing, said, "Trump is not a traditional politician. And it is not much use establishing contacts with him through officials or academics. You have to do it through businessmen and his family."