(KPL/Yonhap) Republic of Korea and China have discussed cooperation on the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit here and other pending bilateral issues, likely including Beijing's steel structures in the overlapping maritime zone in the Yellow Sea, Seoul officials said Wednesday.

The working-level dialogue took place Tuesday, led by Kang Young-shin, director general for Northeast and Central Asian affairs at the Republic of Korean foreign ministry, and Liu Jinsong, director general for Asian affairs at China's foreign ministry.

During the talks, the two sides agreed to continue communication at various levels and build on a shared understanding to further develop bilateral relations in light of the APEC summit. China is also due to host next year's APEC gathering.

In this vein, they likely discussed the possibility of Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Republic of Korea for the APEC event, scheduled to be held in the southern city of Gyeongju between late October and early November.

The two officials also exchanged views on "concrete ways to expand cooperation in economic initiatives that can bring tangible benefits" to the peoples of both nations, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Tuesday's talks also included discussions on issues of mutual interests, including those related to the Yellow Sea and the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.

Republic of Korea and China have been in a dispute after Beijing built several steel towers in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ), an overlapping sea zone between the two countries.

Seoul has expressed concerns over Beijing's unilateral actions that were not agreed in a bilateral agreement on the PMZ signed by the two countries to ensure maritime stability.

Kang and Liu also likely discussed the growing military cooperation between Russia and DPRK (North Korea).

Early on Wednesday, Liu also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won as a courtesy call. They discussed continued efforts to advance the strategic cooperation partnership between Seoul and Beijing in a "mature and forward-looking" manner, the ministry said.

KPL