
China's first lady Peng Liyuan travels to Washington with President Xi Jinping ahead of the Xi-Trump summit, projecting glamour and soft power on the world stage.
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Peng Liyuan is accompanying President Xi Jinping to Washington for the Xi-Trump summit, marking her return to the international stage as China's first lady.
From projecting soft power to her English capturing attention, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting on Peng Liyuan
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Published: 12:30pm, 26 Sep 2026
We have put together stories from our coverage of Peng Liyuan during the Xi-Trump summit. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China’s first lady Peng Liyuan projects glamour and soft power on world stage
China’s first lady Peng Liyuan is again stepping into the international limelight as she travels to Washington with President Xi Jinping this week.

Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Zhizhong said at the symposium after the Trump-Xi meeting that the government continues to strengthen communication to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He believes that this move is in line with international interests and believes that the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will still be completed. He emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's democracy to the world, and called on Taiwan to strengthen its self-defense capabilities every day.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are approaching, the Yunnan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision reported six cases of mental issues that violated the eight central regulations; the Provincial Party Committee’s United Front Work Department held a training class for non-party intellectuals at Zhejiang University; the Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce issued a social responsibility report for private enterprises; the Dali Overseas Chinese Federation jointly carried out Mid-Autumn themed activities with the community and unveiled a home for overseas Chinese; Yunnan Province Taiwan compatriots held a Mid-Autumn Festival social event in Kunming; the Xichou County Overseas Chinese Federation of Wenshan Prefecture went to the home of overseas Chinese to carry out a Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day social event; Yanshan County held a National Unity Cup air volleyball match and carried out a lecture on the National Unity and Progress Promotion Law; the Yunnan Provincial United Front System Representative Team held cultural and sports activities for employees and health Qigong was commended in the exhibition; Weishan County held a special lecture on the cultivation of special industry chain collaboration between state-owned and private enterprises; the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Zhi Gong Party and the Honghe Prefecture Committee research team went to Luxi County to investigate the green transformation of the non-ferrous metal industry; the Yunnan Business Investigation Delegation of the Guangdong-Macao Federation of Industry and Commerce went to Zhaotong to inspect the traditional Chinese medicine industry; in 2026, the Yunnan People's Government The Ethnic Unity Cup Pu'er Division Finals and Award Ceremony were held in Jiangcheng County; a series of overseas exchange activities for the vocational education service industry were held in Rudong County, Jiangsu Province, and the Yunnan Vocational Education Society organized many schools to participate; the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Jiusan Society and the Chuxiong Prefecture Committee jointly launched a free medical clinic event for hundreds of experts to go to the countryside with science and technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his state visit to the United States and returned to Beijing on the afternoon of September 25. U.S. President Trump posted continuously on social media platforms, praising the meeting between the Chinese and American presidents as full of friendship, strength and success, and looking forward to the next meeting. He also said that the two sides have achieved many results and will gain more in the future.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wang Dingyu pointed out that Trump welcomed Xi Jinping’s delegation with Teresa Teng’s music at the second session of the Trump-Xi Conference, and used “Les Misérables” as a program in the evening, symbolizing the overthrow of tyranny, which made the Chinese delegation feel uncomfortable, and the United States did not respond to China’s demands for arms sales to Taiwan and anti-Taiwan independence.

People's Party Chairman Huang Guochang went to Hualien's Ji'an Renli Market during the end of the year campaign to assist with the election. This was his second visit to Hualien this week. Although he previously said that the tone of Hualien Blue and White has not changed, today's auxiliary election schedule deliberately avoided the Kuomintang county magistrate candidate You Shuzhen and his vote-seeking team, and there was no direct contact. You Shuzhen entered the venue to interact with Aboriginal voters after Huang Guochang left, and the atmosphere was lively. The outside world has questioned the sincerity of Blue and White, especially since the People's Party has not clearly stated whether it supports Fu Kunyu's team to which You Shuzhen belongs.

Hainan Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County has anchored the construction goal of "three districts and three places" during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, and proposed goals such as an average annual growth rate of 6.5% in regional GDP and an increase in average life expectancy to 82 years by 2030. It focuses on promoting green and low-carbon development across the region, tropical rainforest health care, specialty agriculture, and high-tech industry cultivation to achieve high-quality development and common prosperity for all ethnic groups.