First ladies step forward as Trump lays on rare honours for Xi
Por Nayan Seth — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement 2026 Xi-Trump summits US Diplomacy First ladies step forward as Trump lays on rare honours for Xi
Three-day itinerary from September 23 to 25 will feature extensive ceremonial honours along with dedicated cultural exchanges and events
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Nayan Seth in Washington Published: 11:26pm, 21 Sep 2026 Updated: 11:45pm, 21 Sep 2026 US first lady Melania Trump is set to lead key cultural diplomacy events during the coming official state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan , marking their first visit to the White House since 2015.
According to an official itinerary released by the first lady’s office, the three-day visit, scheduled from September 23 to 25, will feature extensive ceremonial honours alongside dedicated cultural exchanges highlighting Sino-American relations.
Melania will join US President Donald Trump to officially welcome Peng and President Xi to the White House on Thursday following their scheduled arrival at Joint Base Andrews the previous evening. The SCMP reported on September 17 that Trump would greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, not only at the White House, a rare presidential airport welcome. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
