President Donald Trump may be preparing for a politically tough encounter with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the state visit, but he also appears determined to create a warm personal atmosphere.
Arabella Kushner, the 15-year-old daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, occupied a prominent position as Xi arrived at the White House on Thursday for closely watched formal discussions.
Placing the impeccably dressed teenager near the Chinese president was likely no coincidence. Arabella is fluent in Mandarin, a skill that has made her a familiar figure in the relationship between the Trump family and China.
During Trump’s 2017 trip to Beijing, he showed Xi a video of Arabella as a young child, dressed in a traditional Chinese silk outfit while singing and reciting classical Chinese poetry in Mandarin.
The performance quickly captivated audiences across China, prompting Xi to praise the young girl and declare that she deserved an “A-plus.”
It was not immediately known whether Arabella spoke privately with Xi or China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan, during Thursday’s White House ceremony.
Dressed in a cream-colored, floor-length gown, Arabella stood beside her mother, Ivanka, as well as Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, while the Chinese delegation arrived amid an elaborate display of ceremony and pageantry.
She later sat in the front row with senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as Trump and Xi delivered remarks in turn.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s daughter, Arabella, drew attention during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the White House on Thursday. She is pictured alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Wearing a cream-colored floor-length dress, Arabella stood beside her mother, Ivanka Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, as the Chinese delegation arrived
Trump’s granddaughter began studying Mandarin when she was only 18 months old.
Arabella and her younger brothers, Joseph and Theodore, learned the language with help from the family’s Chinese nanny and through their schooling.
Her fluency has also featured prominently in moments when her grandfather sought to build goodwill with Chinese audiences.
When Ivanka served as a senior White House adviser during Trump’s first administration, she shared social media videos of Arabella singing in Mandarin, including clips recorded when the child was just five.
The videos spread rapidly online, with some Chinese social media users warmly describing the young girl as a “friendship messenger.”
In early 2017, Arabella performed in Mandarin for Xi when he visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
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Later that year, Trump brought a tablet to a state dinner in Beijing so he could show Xi a recording of Arabella addressing the Chinese president and Peng Liyuan with the affectionate titles “Grandpa Xi” and “Grandma Peng.”
“Hello, Grandpa Xi. Hello, Grandma Peng,” Arabella said in the clip as she stood before an American flag.
During Trump’s 2017 state dinner in Beijing, he shared a video of Arabella warmly greeting Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, as “Grandpa Xi” and “Grandma Peng”
The video of Arabella was later shown on large television screens during the 2017 state dinner
Arabella went on to say in Mandarin: ‘Hello everyone, let me sing a song.’
She then launched into a traditional Chinese folk song about the country’s beautiful landscapes and lush natural sites.
At the time, Chinese media outlets reported that Xi said Arabella deserved an ‘A+’ for her performance.
The clip was later broadcast on massive TV screens during the state dinner.
It isn’t known if Arabella will make any further appearances during Xi’s current state visit.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump had hailed the ‘truly great friendship’ he has already forged with Xi.
Arabella took a front row seat alongside political heavyweights including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as her grandfather and Xi took turns delivering remarks
Arabella was a noticeable presence alongside her mom and top administration officials as the state visit got underway at the White House on Thursday
He called on China to work more closely with the US in order to avoid friction as the two biggest economies compete.
‘From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,’ Trump said.
Xi, for his part, was more direct in his public remarks, saying Chinese and American interests are ‘deeply intertwined’ and that the ‘competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds.’
‘It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses,’ Xi said.