A top Chinese official will arrive in South Korea on Friday to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the matter of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, is set to arrive in Busan at the invitation of Suh Hoon, the head of South Korea’s National Security Office.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Suh will meet with Yang on Saturday morning and the two will continue their discussions over lunch. In announcing Yang’s visit, Seoul’s presidential office said that ways to cooperate on responses to the pandemic will be at the top of the agenda, along with international and Korean Peninsula issues.

Seoul also revealed that Xi’s postponed visit is also likely to be discussed. Seoul and Beijing had initially agreed to arrange a visit for Xi sometime in the first half of the year, but the plans were pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two sides have not revealed any information on Xi’s visit, but there is speculation that the trip may be arranged toward the end of the year.

In an interview with China’s Global Times, Da Zhigang, director and research fellow of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said Seoul has not joined the US pressure campaign against China, and that Yang’s visit could facilitate Xi’s visit by the end of the year.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)