Chinese President Hu Jintao has arrived in the South Korean capital, Seoul, for a two-day summit set to focus on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Mr Hu received a formal welcome as he arrived fresh from the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
He and counterpart Lee Myung-bak will discuss ways to advance dialogue aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programme, officials said.
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The Chinese president will then head to Central Asia for a meeting of a regional security grouping.
Talks stalled
The summit comes amid tension between the two Koreas.
Mr Lee has linked the flow of aid to progress on disarmament and human rights, angering Pyongyang. The July shooting death of a South Korean housewife by a North Korean soldier has further harmed ties.
International talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programme are also currently stalled.
In June, North Korea handed over long-awaited details of its nuclear activities to the five countries involved in the aid-for-disarmament deal.
But it has yet to agree on a mechanism for verifying this information with the US.
The two presidents are to hold in-depth consultations on advancing the nuclear talks, the South Korean presidential office said.
Other issues on the agenda included expanding trade between the two sides and the "yellow dust" from China's Gobi Desert which clouds the skies over South Korea, officials said.
After the summit, Mr Hu flies to the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, for a summit of a regional security grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
(BBC)
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