As Donald Trump kicks off his second term in office Monday, Seoul is paying close attention to how U.S.-China strategic competition — a key variable in setting the coordinates for Korean diplomacy — will unfold.

China on Monday executed two men convicted of separate deadly attacks carried out in November amid a series of violent crimes committed in the Asian nation.

Chinese planemaker COMAC plans to raise production capacity for its homegrown C919 single-aisle planes to 50 this year, a COMAC executive told a media outlet supported by the Shanghai government. COMAC Deputy General Manager Shen Bo also said the Shanghai-based state-owned firm aims to manufacture 30 C919 aircraft this year,

The 10th round of negotiations for the second phase of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was held in Seoul, South Korea, from Wednesday to Friday, according to a statement on the website of China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Friday.

With the fate of suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol hanging in the balance, the country has also been left facing an uncertain future as it battles through the resulting political turmoil.

Start-ups with Chinese ties have found it increasingly difficult to do business and list shares in the United States.

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, marking Pyongyang's latest show of force just days ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to office.

The trade authorities of South Korea and China will hold the 10th follow-up negotiations on the FTA services and investment in Seoul, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 16th.

Seoul shares opened lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors awaited a swath of Chinese data set to be released later in the day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 5.

The area in question lies within the Provisional Measures Zone, established in 2001 to manage disputes over overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) between the two countries. The agreement prohibits constructing facilities or exploiting resources other than fishing, pending a permanent boundary resolution.

Seoul shares ended slightly lower Friday on foreign selling, with China's better-than-expected economic growth falling short of boosting investor sentiment. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.

Foreign ministers from South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Monday to discuss strengthening their relations in the face of increasing security challenges in the region and political tumult in the host nation.