Xi and Obama meeting represents pinnacle of Sunnylands' mission

Xi Jinping's arrival at the Sunnylands estate in California yesterday put him in the footsteps of royalty, seven US presidents and a host of other leaders who have beaten a path to the marble doorstep of Walter Annenberg, the late publishing tycoon, philanthropist and diplomat.

Beyond the hospitality of a magnificent home - the 25,000 sq ft masterpiece that was the Annenbergs' winter home is surely that - the 80-hectare compound outside Palm Springs offers a priceless commodity to its powerful guests: privacy.

The compound's managers see it as nothing less than a Californian Camp David. The two-day summit between Xi and US President Barack Obama will be the estate's highest-profile retreat since it reopened in March, more than a decade after Annenberg and his wife, Leonore, outlined their high hopes for the property in a trust.

Annenberg, who made billions from TV Guide, the Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications, wanted the estate to provide leaders with "the pause", as he put it, to solve the world's weightiest problems .

"We are profoundly honoured that President Obama has chosen Sunnylands as the venue for this important meeting," said Geoffrey Cowan, president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

"Walter and Leonore Annenberg were remarkable philanthropists and diplomats who hoped that their estate could become a 'Camp David of the West' where the president would meet world leaders to promote global peace and facilitate international agreements.

"The upcoming meeting between President Obama and President Xi begins to fulfil that vision, which is continued by their children and grandchildren who serve as our trustees."