South Korean leader meets with Chinese counterpart on fence-mending trip

South Korean President Moon Jae-In began his first state visit to China on Wednesday to soothe relations strained by the US deployment of an anti-missile system that has angered Beijing.

Moon is also expected to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis during his four-day trip, which includes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Moon's office said ahead of the trip that the president, who took office in May, wanted to "normalise" ties with Beijing, and that the visit would be a turning point towards a "more mature" relationship.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Moon had arrived in Beijing, and would meet with South Korean residents and attend a business roundtable on Wednesday.

US THAAD system angered China

The US military installed the powerful THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system in the South earlier this year to guard against threats from the nuclear-armed North.

The move angered Beijing, which considers the deployment a threat to its own security.

China slapped a string of measures against South Korean businesses and banned group tours to the South, in moves seen as economic retaliation.

But last month, the two countries issued identically-worded statements on their mutual desire to improve relations.

It did not state any specifics, but Beijing has demanded that Seoul formally promise not to deploy any more THAAD launchers and not to join any regional US missile defence system.

China-South Korea ties show some thawing recently

Ties recently showed some - albeit limited - signs of thaw as China's state tourism board approved last month Seoul-bound group tours from some parts of the country.

"China and the ROK (South Korea) have reached some consensus on dealing with the (THAAD) issue in the current stage," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday.

"We hope that the issue can continue to be handled properly and that the two sides can bring China-South Korea relations totally back to the track of sound and steady development," Lu added.

Hot topic of North Korea

China has also urged the United States, Japan and South Korea to suspend joint military drills in the region in return for North Korea to halt its nuclear activities - an idea consistently rejected by Washington and Seoul.

Beijing has pressed for talks to peacefully resolve the crisis.

South Korea Minister echos US Tillerson

Moon's visit comes hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington was ready to talk to North Korea "without preconditions", though it remains determined to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon on Wednesday invited North Korea to engage in talks without preconditions, local media said.

"North Korea should stop any further provocations and come out for talks without conditions," Cho told a gathering of diplomats in Seoul, according to a Yonhap News Agency report based on a government statement.

He said South Korea was seeking to solve the nuclear issue through peaceful and diplomatic means, the agency reported, adding that Seoul was pushing to restore communication and increase cooperation with Kim Jong-un’s regime.

Russia welcomed Tillerson's comments

Later Wednesday, Russia welcomed Tillerson’s comments.

"In general, we can state that such constructive statements are much better than the confrontational rhetoric that we have heard so far," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to official news agency TASS.

He added that Russia had consistently urged against "absolutely counterproductive" provocations. "Therefore, such statements, of course are satisfying."

New approach to New Korea

The dropping of any conditions before embarking on talks has led to speculation that South Korea and the US could be adopting a new approach after years of Pyongyang's defiance of UN resolutions.

The apparent change came nearly two weeks after North Korea said it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking anywhere on the US mainland.

Among those present for Cho’s speech was the Chinese ambassador. President Moon Jae-in is currently visiting Beijing to meet China's President Xi Jinping.

China is the North's main backer and Xi has indicated he would welcome any move towards regional dialogue.