Korea watchers want to know, as the American leader spends an hour and a half on the phone with the Chinese party boss, Xi Jinping.

The new South Korean administration will likely make efforts to buy time for U.S. trade talks, as it studies the negotiations of Japan and China for leverage.

In his inauguration speech, South Korea’s newly elected president pledged to strengthen the nation’s alliance with the United States while pursuing a pragmatic relationship with China.