The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan will hold talks in China on the sidelines of a trilateral foreign ministers meeting between Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono will hold talks Wednesday afternoon in Beijing after the three-way meeting takes place that morning.

The two sides will likely discuss ways to defuse ongoing bilateral tensions ahead of the August 24 renewal deadline of the countries' military intelligence sharing accord known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement.

Kang and Kono also held one-on-one talks during a regional forum in Thailand earlier this month but failed to narrow their differences in the two country's trade row.