U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will discuss ways to press North Korea to rid itself of nuclear technology when they meet in California later this week, an official here said Tuesday.

"The United States and China share the view that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is essential if we are to move forward in any diplomatic process with North Korea," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said at a press briefing.

"That's an issue that we work closely with them on. I'm sure it will be an issue discussed this weekend and moving forward."

She added China is working with the U.S. and other members of the six-way talks in pressing North Korea to abide by its international obligations, including the Sept. 19, 2005, joint statement. Under the deal, Pyongyang agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons in return for political and economic incentives from South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

"We remain focused on pressing North Korea, as do, of course, the Chinese, and we have a shared goal of a denuclearized peninsula," Psaki said.

Obama is scheduled to meet Xi at Sunnylands, a Southern California estate, on Friday and Saturday. It would be their first meeting since Xi became China's leader in March.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said earlier Obama and Xi will use the rather informal sessions for wide-ranging discussions on U.S.-China relations and joint efforts to resolve regional and global challenges.

"Certainly a topic of conversation would be North Korea, stability in Asia, expanding our bilateral military ties, climate change and cybersecurity," he told reporters.

Some Korea watchers say Obama and Xi may touch on the issue of North Korean defectors.

The topic has drawn keen media attention, especially since the forced repatriation of nine North Koreans, largely in their teens, who were caught in Laos last month and deported to China. China eventually sent them back to North Korea.

The White House did not respond to Yonhap News Agency's inquiry over whether the presidents will discuss the North Korean defector issue this week.

Bruce Klingner, senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation, said Beijing should stop repatriating North Korean refugees, which would be a sign of a possible shift in its policy on its nuclear-armed neighbor.

"During his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Obama should press Beijing to increase pressure on North Korea for its repeated violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions and international law," Klingner said in an op-ed piece for the institute's website. "One tangible sign that China had altered its policy toward Pyongyang would be for Beijing to cease forcing refugees to return to the brutal living conditions and punishment imposed by the North Korean dictatorship."

Meanwhile, Rose Gottemoeller, acting under secretary of state for arms control and international security, will make a two-day trip to Beijing from Wednesday, her department announced.

Leading the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-China Security Dialogue, she will have discussions with senior Chinese officials on arms control, nonproliferation and international security issues, it said. (Yonhap News)