South Korea and China are in talks to arrange a summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a multilateral summit event early next month, officials said Tuesday.

The discussions come as bilateral relations appear to be thawing following tensions in recent months over Yoon's remarks on Taiwan and the Chinese ambassador to Seoul's thinly veiled warning against South Korea's alignment with the United States.

"The two countries' diplomatic authorities are exchanging elementary views" on the possibility of a summit, a senior government official told Yonhap News Agency.

A presidential official also said "positive signals" have been detected with regard to the development of South Korea-China relations.

Earlier this month, China lifted a ban on group tours to South Korea. The ban had been in place for more than six years amid tension over South Korea's hosting of the THAAD U.S. missile defense system.

Yoon and Xi held their first summit on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. (Yonhap)