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Michelle Obama is using her time in China to promote the power of technology and freedom of information.

During a speech at Peking University in Beijing Saturday, our First Lady told students that the free flow of information is crucial “because that’s how we discover truth, that’s how we learn what’s really happening in our communities and our country and our world.”

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She added that new technology can “open up the entire world and expose us to ideas and innovations we could never have imagined.”

“Time and again, we have seen that countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices and opinions of all their citizens can be heard,” she said.

The United States, she said, respected the “uniqueness” of other cultures and societies. “But when it comes to expressing yourself freely,” she said, “and worshiping as you choose, and having open access to information — we believe those are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet.”

These were strong world in the communist country, which blocks most foreign news sites and social media services like as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. But, American student Eleanor Goodman, who participated in the conference via modern technology, said Mrs. Obama’s words were “firm but not overbearing.”

The FLOTUS, along with Sasha, Malia and her mother, arrived in China on Thursday evening. The Obama women, who schedule the trip to promote educational exchanges, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

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