China's president visits South Korea in to North

President's Xi arrived in Seoul on Thursday for a state visit seen as a snub to North Korea, whose nuclear weapons ambitions will dominate talks with South Korean leader Park Geun-hye .

It was Xi Jinping's first trip as head of state to South Korean, and will mark his second summit with Park, who visited China in 2013 .

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still waiting for an invitation to Beijing.

No previous Chinese leader has put South Korea before and above the North like this,

- Aidan Foster-Carter (Leeds University)

North Korea conducted a series of rocket and missile launches into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) last week, triggering protests from Seoul and Tokyo.

Xi and Park will hold their summit after Thursday's welcoming ceremony, and the two leaders are then expected to sign a joint communique.