The aircraft that Chinese President Xi Jinping boarded during his visit to Korea in 2014. Yonhap News.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Gimhae International Airport on the 30th via his presidential plane, beginning his visit to South Korea after an 11-year hiatus.

The president is scheduled to hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on the same day to discuss bilateral issues, including easing trade conflicts, and a summit with President Lee Jae-myung on the 1st of next month. A summit between China and Japan is also being discussed for the 31st.

President Xi is also expected to attend the 32nd APEC Informal Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, among other events during his three-day state visit.

In particular, this U.S.-China summit is the first to be held since President Trump's re-election, and the world's attention is focused on whether the tensions between the two countries over tariffs and technology can be eased to some extent.

Both sides exchanged triple-digit tariffs this year and agreed to a "truce" in high-level trade negotiations in May. U.S. tariffs on China remain at 50% (including a 20% tariff on fentanyl), and Chinese tariffs on the U.S. remain at 10%.

Ahead of this summit, U.S.-China tensions were reignited, and with a framework being established in high-level negotiations in Malaysia on the 25th-26th, there is speculation that both sides will focus on managing the situation based on this.

It is reported that China has deferred strengthening its rare earth export controls, while the U.S. has agreed not to impose an additional 100% tariff on China.

It is also noteworthy whether the U.S. will agree to a reduction in its fentanyl tariff and China's purchase of U.S. soybeans, and whether a solution will be found for the U.S. business rights of the Chinese video platform TikTok.

There is also speculation that the focus will be on managing the situation until early next year, when President Trump has announced he plans to visit China.

President Xi's visit to South Korea holds significant meaning in terms of South Korea-China relations.

President Xi visited South Korea in July 2014 during the tenure of former President Park Geun-hye, but due to the deterioration of South Korea-China relations following the deployment of the U.S. THAAD system, he had postponed his visit despite repeated requests from the South Korean side.

Given the recent escalation of economic, military, and geopolitical conflicts between the U.S. and China, China may pressure South Korea not to align too closely with the U.S. during the summit. The acceleration of phase two negotiations for the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the issue of the "Hallyu ban" (Korean Wave restriction order) are also potential topics of discussion.

There is also an analysis that President Lee's remarks made at the South Korea-U.S. summit the previous day, mentioning the necessity of "nuclear-powered submarines" and stating that "diesel submarines have limited diving capabilities, thus restricting tracking activities against North Korean or Chinese submarines," could be brought up for discussion.

[Graphic] Key Itinerary for the State Visits of U.S. and Chinese Presidents to Korea. Yonhap News.

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