Chinese President Xi Jinping has set foot on South Korea on Thursday in a visit designed to improve commercial and diplomatic relations with Seoul and to address North Korea's continuing nuclear ambitions.

This will be the fifth time that Xi will attend a summit meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye since they both became president last year.

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The North will be closely monitoring the events. In the past week, it has already conducted three test firings of short-range missiles and rockets and has threatened to continue with more tests.

North Korea is currently under UN sanctions for its nuclear and missile programs. Officials in Seoul said the meeting's top agenda will include the North's plan to conduct a fourth nuclear test.

Xi will attempt to boost China's economic ties with Seoul and close a free trade deal with its major trade partner. He urged China and South Korea to "jointly respond to challenges" affecting their security, South Korean newspapers said on Thursday.

Based on a study done by Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, South Korea's perception of China is improving mainly because of their leaders' efforts to strengthen the ties between the two countries. Asan said the favorability of China has achieved its "highest point" and this year's summit will further increase that number.

On Sunday, North Korea has tested two short-range missiles in violation of a UN ban. The following day, it announced that two American tourists have been put on trial for allegedly committing crimes against the state.

On Monday, the North also launched a new proposal for peace with its neighbor. But just a few hours before Xi arrived in South Korea on Thursday, it threatened to continue firing missiles amidst pressure from the U.S.

Meanwhile, China is the North's only major ally, and is usually careful in expressing its opinion on Pyongyang's nuclear programs. On Thursday, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua published a commentary blaming tensions between the two Koreas on the existing hostility between the North and the U.S.

Park and Xi are expected to ink more than 10 joint documents forging a stronger cooperation between China and South Korea. A won-yuan currency market and a free trade deal are also included in the documents, according to South Korea's Presidential Blue House.

Both presidents are also expected to talk about the things they need to do to put an end to North Korea's nuclear ambitions and maintain permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.

TagsNorth Korea, China-South Korea relations