Chinese and U.S. special representatives on North Korea agreed Tuesday to maintain communication with each other, in their apparent first phone talks since the administration of President Joe Biden was launched in January.

Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, told Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, that matters related to the peninsula should be resolved in a political manner.

Liu was quoted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as telling Kim that the problems should be solved in a "phased and synchronized" fashion, suggesting Beijing would allow Pyongyang to get rid of its nuclear weapons step by step while gaining concessions.

Kim said the United States is committed to resolving the issue regarding the divided peninsula through diplomatic means and Washington hopes that it will resume dialogue and contact with North Korea as soon as possible, according to the ministry.

At a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea held in June, leader Kim Jong Un pledged to prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation" with the Biden administration.

It is thought to be the first time Kim Jong Un has publicly expressed eagerness to talk with the Biden administration since he took office, as denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States have been stalled.

The Biden administration now plans to keep its North Korea policy flexible, while building on an agreement reached during a 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit that included Pyongyang's commitment toward denuclearization.

North Korea, however, is believed to have been reluctant to hold bilateral talks with the Biden administration unless Washington withdraws what Pyongyang considers its hostile policy position.

China-North Korea relations, meanwhile, have improved recently as their respective tensions with the United States have been lingering.

In 1949, China and North Korea established diplomatic ties. They fought together in the 1950-1953 Korean War against the U.S.-led United Nations forces and have long been described as "blood brothers."

North Korea also relies on China, its closest and most influential ally, for more than 90 percent of its trade. Pyongyang has no diplomatic relations with Washington.