Officials from Japan and China have ended talks on bilateral maritime issues. The officials wrapped up their two-day working-level meeting in the Japanese city of Hiroshima yesterday.
They discussed an emergency communication mechanism to avoid unexpected clashes at sea or in the air, following a similar debate yesterday. Sources say the officials were proactive in talks covering issues including the timing for launching the mechanism. But it is believed that discussions on natural gas development in the East China Sea made little progress.
Japanese delegates have called on China to resume bilateral talks on an agreement to jointly develop gas fields in the sea. The negotiations have been stalled as China unilaterally continued development. The Chinese side opposes details of the joint development agreement.