US first lady meets Chinese rural students via web

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has spoken to rural Chinese students via web conference on her last stretch of a six-day China tour that has focused primarily on education and cultural exchange.

She was in the southwestern province of Sichuan on Tuesday and visiting the elite Chengdu No. 7 High School. It's known for using technology to bring quality education to impoverished remote regions in the mountainous province.

Mrs. Obama has largely avoided thorny issues during her trip, although she strongly supported freedom of expression and unfettered access to information as "universal rights" in a speech Saturday at Beijing's Peking University.

She met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday before Xi flew to The Hague for a summit and a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday.