Melania Trump wears a red dress for dinner with China’s president and his wife

The two-day summit at the Winter White House is officially underway, with Thursday afternoon’s arrival of China President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.

China’s first couple touched down in West Palm Beach aboard Air Force One with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. While their husbands kept things businesslike wearing suits and ties, their respective wives weren’t quite so formal. Peng wore white cropped pants, a black hip-length coat and an Yves Klein blue billowing scarf. FLOTUS stepped across the tarmac in her signature stilettos and a sleeveless black V-neck dress with a cinched wide black leather belt.

For Thursday night’s dinner at Mar-a-Lago, the First Lady chose a vibrant red square-necked dress, while Liyuan chose a floral motif with a mandarin collar with a purple velvet scarf folded neatly on her left arm. Jinping and Trump stuck with navy business suits and ties in a shade that coordinated with their wives.

China’s First Lady is known to be right by her husband’s side for global appearances in the four years since her husband took over the top job. Two months into her husband’s administration, Melania Trump has taken on a more public role in recent weeks. Earlier Thursday at the White House she stood beside the President at the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride event. And On Wednesday she was not be missed in a shamrock green long-sleeve dress when visiting an all-girls’ charter school Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan in Washington, D.C.

Earlier in the week the release of FLOTUS’ official portrait caused more of a stir for her arms-crossed pose than her black made-in-Italy Dolce & Gabbana attire.

While Trump and Jinping try to resolve some trade, security and economic issues on Friday, their wives are expected to visit a local Palm Beach school. Like the former model, Liyuan was a public figure before she became a married woman. China’s first lady was a popular singing star with the People’s Liberation Army for a number of years. Perhaps she will lend an ear to Ivanka Trump’s five-year-old daughter Arabella, who has appeared more than once in an Instagram post singing Chinese songs, including one in honor of the Chinese New Year that has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

Mayte Allende also contributed to this story.

ALSO

Melania Trump’s lawsuit claims she lost a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to profit off her high profile

Melania Trump chooses Karl Lagerfeld outfit for White House press conference

Inside Dolce & Gabbana’s exclusive celebration of life, love, opera and couture