The visit, Lee’s first to China since taking office in June, comes amid heightened global tensions after Pyongyang’s aggressive display, on the heels of the US attack on Venezuela.

Lee is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip for their second meeting in just two months, an unusually short interval that, analysts say, signals China’s keen interest in boosting economic collaboration and tourism as its relations with neighbouring Japan have sunk to the lowest point in years.

Beijing was incensed when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.

China claims the island as its own — an assertion rejected by Taiwan’s government.

Sunday’s missile launches by North Korea represent “a message to China to deter closer ties with South Korea and to counter China’s stance on denuclearisation”, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

Lee arrived in Beijing with a delegation that includes more than 200 South Korean business leaders to start the four-day visit, Chinese state news broadcaster CCTV reported.

These included Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, according to photos published by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

China and South Korea are expected to discuss matters such as supply chain investment, the digital economy and cultural exchanges during Lee’s visit, CCTV said.