US first lady Michelle Obama is expected to steer clear of controversial issues such as human rights when she visits China this week but her trip could help advance a top item on her husband’s foreign policy agenda: deepening Washington’s ties with Beijing.  The week-long trip marks only the third foreign solo trip for Obama, who has cultivated a self-described “mom-in-chief” image, putting her energy into raising her daughters Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, and signature domestic policy issues such as combating childhood obesity.  Michelle Obama Visits China