Yang Jiechi, a member of the Communist Party Politburo, is scheduled to visit Seoul this week for talks with new national security adviser Suh Hoon, Reuters reported.

Seoul officials said Yang Jiechi will visit Busan City later this week. It will be the first visit by a senior Beijing official since the COVID-19 hit China late last year.

During the meeting, the parties will discuss North Korea, cooperation amid the COVID1-9 and a potential visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping, President's spokesman Kang Min-seok said on Wednesday.

“Both sides have been working to make it possible for President Xi to visit at an appropriate time when the COVID-19 situation stabilises and fosters such conditions,” Kang told a briefing.

According to him, the parties will also exchange views on the holding of an annual trilateral summit with the participation of Japan.