Story highlights China says both sides have been in close contact about a presidential summit

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to finalize plans for the summit with Chinese officials

The summit would be the first in-person meeting between Trump and Xi

(CNN) President Donald Trump is planning to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit next month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a senior administration official told CNN Monday.

The official cautioned that the plan is only tentative at the moment.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to finalize plans for the summit with Chinese officials as he arrives in Beijing later this week, the official added.

On Tuesday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "both sides have been in close contact regarding a presidential summit" and it would "release relevant information in a timely manner."

Plans for the summit -- which would be the first in-person meeting between Trump and Xi -- come amid heightened tensions in the region, particularly the increasing North Korean nuclear threat.