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Sung Kim, the US State Department's special representative for North Korea, and Liu Xiaoming, China’s Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs (Yonhap News)

The new US and Chinese representatives for North Korea had their first telephone conversation to discuss matters related to North Korea on Tuesday.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday that Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming had spoken that day with US State Department Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim.

Liu "stated China's stance on issues of the Korean Peninsula and expressed his views on the US' policy review on the DPRK," the ministry said.

The announcement also said that Liu had "stressed the importance of the dual-track approach" — combining the denuclearization process with negotiations toward a North Korea-US peace agreement — as well as "the phased and synchronized principle in promoting the political settlement of the [Korean] Peninsula issues."

The ministry quoted Liu as having "called on the US to take seriously and address the DPRK's legitimate and reasonable concerns, and support the DPRK-ROK reconciliation and cooperation."

The ministry further quoted Kim as saying that "the US is committed to a diplomatic resolution of the Peninsula issues, and hopes dialogue and contact with the DPRK will be restored as soon as possible." Kim was also quoted as sharing Washington's support for efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, and the two sides were reported to have "agreed to keep contact."

When asked about the report during a briefing Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that the conversation between representatives had taken place, but said that the department did not "have a readout to share of the call."

Price added that there had been previous discussions of North Korea policy between Washington and Beijing, including an explanation by Secretary of State Tony Blinken of the US government's North Korea policy review to Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi.

The conversation between the US and Chinese representatives came amid a recent series of efforts by Beijing to contact the parties to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.

In May, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi met with North Korean Ambassador to China Ri Ryong-nam in Beijing. Last month, Liu Xiaoming spoke by telephone with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, who is in charge of Korean Peninsula-related affairs for Moscow.

Also, in June, Liu spoke by telephone with South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk and met with South Korean Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung.

The conversations with four of the six parties in the talks — not including Japan — have led analysts to suggest that Beijing may be pushing for a larger role on the North Korean nuclear issue.

White House National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell also predicted some engagement between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the near future.

When asked during a videoconference discussion organized by the Asia Society on Wednesday whether the US and Chinese leaders might meet during or before the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in Italy this October, Campbell replied, "I think both leaders will assess [whether to meet]."

"My expectation would be that we'll have some sort of engagement before too long," he added.

White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan also said on June 17 that some form of engagement between the US and Chinese leaders was under examination, suggesting the G20 summit in October as one possible scenario.

Campbell further reaffirmed that Biden plans to hold a summit in Washington this year for the Quad, a strategic dialogue among the US, Japan, India, and Australia with the aim of containing China.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]