United States first lady Michelle Obama arrived in China on Thursday for her week-long official visit that focuses on the importance of education for the youth, the White House stated.

Mrs. Obama arrived in Beijing, together with her mother and two daughters, for her first official trip to China. The visit of the first lady was arranged following the invitation of Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan.

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"The first lady will be in China to focus on the importance of education in her own life and lives of young people in both the US and China," a White House statement said.

Mrs. Obama will stay in Beijing until the 23^rd of March, 2014. On the 24th of March, the first lady will go to Xian and then to Chengdu on the 25-26^th of March.

She will visit important historical and cultural sites in China together with her mother and daughters Malia and Shasha.

Mrs. Obama and the Chinese first lady is set to have dinner together, attend a performance, and visit the tourist spot Forbidden City. Sources said that while there are several economic and political issues that the two first ladies can discuss, Mrs. Obama's visit in China will not include diplomatic discussions.

She is also scheduled to visit a university and a high school in the Chinese capital Beijing, where she is set to deliver a message about the importance of education among the youth.

The visit of the US first lady is taking place in China a week after US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed over the phone several ways to strengthen the ties of the two countries.

Xi and Obama are set to meet in the Netherlands later this month during the Nuclear Security Summit. It will be the first bilateral meeting for the two presidents for this year.

Last year, Xi and Obama, presidents of the two most powerful countries in the world, met on two occasions.