Senior officials from China and Japan have wrapped up a first round of talks to resolve disputes over energy and territory in the East China Sea in Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the meeting was constructive.
The Director General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, Cui Tiankai, and the Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Mitoji Yabunaka, represented the two sides at Monday's talks. Energy department officials from both sides also met.
The Chinese delegation says progress was made.
The one-day meeting follows a terse exchange between the two countries that began earlier this year. The row centered on resource exploration in disputed waters, where the two sides have yet to agree on a sea border.
The meeting was a good beginning for both countries to begin their dialogue on how to solve this complicated issue. But there's still a long way to go before a final agreement is reached.
(CCTV.com October 27, 2004)
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