Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi is set to visit Busan later this week at the invitation of National Security Adviser Suh Hoon.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Min-seok announced on Wednesday that Yang, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, will make a two-day trip to Busan from Friday. 

The top official is set to sit down for talks with Suh on Saturday. 

According to Kang, the two officials will discuss ways to cooperate on joint responses to COVID-19 and pending issues concerning bilateral ties and Korea Peninsula affairs. 

A senior presidential official told reporters that Chinese President Xi Jinping's possible visit to South Korea will also be an agenda item, adding the two countries have discussed the matter. 

Seoul and Beijing initially pushed for Xi's visit to South Korea in the first half of the year but related efforts have been disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The last time Yang visited South Korea was in July 2018.