ISTANBUL 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday in South Korea, to seek “positive outcomes,” Beijing confirmed on Wednesday.

The two heads of state will “have an in-depth communication regarding major issues of strategic and long-term significance, as well as issues of mutual interest,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

“China stands ready to work with the US,” Guo told a news conference in Beijing, adding that the country seeks “positive outcomes of this meeting" and injecting "new momentum into the development of China-US relations.”

Trump and Xi will meet in the southeastern city of Busan, Guo noted, emphasizing that the “head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations.”

He mentioned that specific information regarding this upcoming meeting will be released in due course.

Last week, the White House announced the two leaders were set to meet on Oct. 30 in South Korea.

The meeting is set to materialize following months of diplomatic maneuvering between Beijing and Washington as their bilateral trade war has ebbed and flowed for much of Trump's nine months in office.

Separately, Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also set to hold their first summit on Friday, as reported by Kyodo News, citing government sources.

This meeting, marking the first since Takaichi assumed office last week, will occur on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.