South Korea is not part of the meeting but hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping will encourage North Korea to open up to Seoul and Washington.
When the visit was reported, South Korea's minister in charge of North Korea relations speculated that Xi might bring up resuming talks with the US.
North Korea has cut off communication with South Korea and the US for several years, instead focusing on its relationship with Moscow and Beijing. The previous South Korean government took a hard stance against Pyongyang, including using propaganda loudspeakers at the border and dropping leaflets over Pyongyang.
Most experts believe resuming inter-Korean talks is not a high priority for Xi. Expectations in Seoul are low.