Japan, China fail to agree in gas talks

Japan and China remained apart Tuesday in their dispute over gas exploration rights in the East China Sea, but they agreed to expedite the compilation of a plan by autumn to jointly develop the lucrative fields, a Japanese negotiator said.

"We had intense discussions on both sides' strong common concerns . . . and our understanding over the issue has deepened, but we have not reached an agreement on the basic points," Kenichiro Sasae said after the one-day meeting.

The key item in the latest and ninth round of talks was joint development of the fields. Both sides have agreed to resolve the row over energy resources by jointly developing the fields but still differ on the location of the projects.

Sasae, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, said both sides want to speed up efforts and compile the joint development plan by the fall.

"The Chinese side, subjectively speaking, has the will to accelerate the talks and resolve (the issue), but from our viewpoint, there is a slight gap between their will and what they present as their way of thinking," Sasae said.

The two sides did not agree on when to meet next because of their various diplomatic schedules, but they will work out the details through diplomatic channels, he said.

At their previous round of talks in Beijing last month, China made no formal proposals on how to resolve the dispute.

Tokyo and Beijing have agreed to meet at least once a month to achieve the goal set by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April to compile the joint development plan by the fall.

"It's our mission to accelerate these gas talks and reach an accord as soon as possible as agreed between the top leaders of our nations," Sasae said at the outset of their meeting, which was open to the media.

He underscored how important it is for the two nations to "demonstrate" their ability to solve the difficult dispute.

Japan was also represented by other officials, including Harufumi Mochizuki, director general of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency. The Chinese delegation was led by Hu Zhengyue, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department.

The dispute stems from the two countries' inability to set a demarcation line in the East China Sea where their economic waters overlap.

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