SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and China announced Tuesday that they will work to improve their relationship, which has been badly strained by the deployment of an American missile defense system, with Seoul saying their leaders are set to hold talks next week.

The thaw in relations comes amid increased regional tensions over North Korea's nuclear ambitions and ahead of President Donald Trump's scheduled visit to both countries next week as part of his first Asian tour.

Relations between Beijing and Seoul have been testy since South Korea allowed the U.S. to deploy a contentious missile...