President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan for a White House state visit Thursday, Sept. 24, according to a schedule released by the first lady's office. The visit is expected to include a formal arrival ceremony and state dinner.
Trump plans to greet Xi and Peng at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The White House described the visit as the couple's first there in more than a decade, but its schedule did not outline an agenda for bilateral negotiations or announce any agreements.
The arrival ceremony Thursday morning will span the South Lawn and other White House spaces, with 479 military personnel representing all branches of the U.S. armed forces. U.S. and Chinese flags, military music and remarks from Trump and Xi are planned.
A military review in the Rose Garden will feature the Army's Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and Marine Corps ceremonial units. The White House says a B-2 bomber and four F-22 fighter jets will take part in a flyover to conclude the ceremony.
Afterward, Melania Trump and Peng plan to visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. The White House describes the museum stop as a look at works tied to artistic achievement and cultural exchange between the two countries.
The president and first lady are scheduled to host Xi and Peng at a state dinner in the East Room on Thursday evening. The Office of the First Lady said it would release more dinner details Wednesday, including information not provided in Monday's schedule.
The visit is set to continue Friday with tea at the White House and a trip to the National Archives in Washington. There, the couples plan to view records and documents significant to the history of the U.S.-China relationship before a farewell at the Archives.
The itinerary is a plan released ahead of the visit, not an account of events that have already occurred. The White House did not specify the subjects of any private conversations or describe economic, trade or security commitments resulting from the trip.
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