One more thing the Chinese do better than us

Michelle Obama's shoulders have done more for American diplomacy than Barack Obama's aloof eloquence.

Kate Middleton's middlc class thrift - repeating dresses and shoes - has humanised Britain's Royal family almost as much as Princess Diana's touchy-feeliness with AIDS victims and landmine survivors did.

And Francois Hollande's nine-year-long troubles with a temperamental Valerie Treilweiler and his subsequent dalliance with actress Julie Gayet has made him seem almost human - Treilweiler's tell-all about their relationship, the nastily titled, Thanks for This Moment, is being seen as the revenge of the rejected and has predictably stirred controversy.

In India, for ten years we have had to live with the staid Gursharan Kaur, who has looked consistently elegant, and persistently boring in her garden variety bedcovers, I mean, silk saris.

Now with Narendra Modi in 7 Race Course Road, we don't even have that visual relief - though I suspect Modi's choice of colours, from cobalt blue to burnt sienna in one outfit appearance alone, more than makes up for it.

Chinese President Xi Jinping with First Lady Peng Liyuan at Rajghat in New Delhi. Photo by Reuters.

Result? Even the dour Chinese are showing us up. Xi Jinping's secret weapon, star singer Peng Liyuan, has spent the two days wowing us with the dress sense that saw her storm into 's coveted International Best Dressed List.

In two days, she has already given us a glimpse of the style sense that has seen her being equated to Michelle Obama. She descended on India in a pink dress with pink scarf that matched her husband's tie.

She quickly changed into a dress with a Chinese collar and white jacket for her walk around the Sabarmati riverfront where she gamely sat on a jhoola (the pride and joy of every Gujarati home), a khat with a Kutch bedspread, and tried on bangles.

For her visit to Rajghat, it was her trademark smart skirt-suit, which showed her recycling ability - the skirt is one she wore on a visit to Tanzania. She removed the jacket for an informal visit to Tagore International, where she hugged students, waved at the media, and generally looked animated.

She's 51, was a star singer, and for many years more famous than her husband.

Drat. One more thing the Chinese do better than us.