At the Chinese Embassy in Washington last week, Ivanka Trump exited a black SUV with her daughter, Arabella, and shook the hand of Ambassador Cui Tiankai.
Ivanka and Arabella, who dressed in red for the Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 1, were filmed listening to traditional music, admiring crafts and playing with puppets. Ivanka later posted a video of Arabella singing a song in Mandarin, further helping to quiet criticism after her father, President Donald Trump, broke with convention by not sending a personal New Year's greeting.
Ivanka's public meeting — lauded in China's press — came after behind-the-scenes meetings between Cui and Jared Kushner, her husband and a presidential adviser. Kushner and Cui have had an extensive ongoing dialogue that has been positive, according to a White House official who asked not to be identified because the meetings were private.