Japan, China agree to expedite gas deal, still apart on unsettled areas

TOKYO, Jan. 9 Kyodo -
Japan and China agreed in ministerial talks Friday to move forward speedily
with a June deal on joint gas exploration in the disputed East China Sea, but
failed to narrow differences over China's continued unilateral activities in
areas set for further negotiation, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and visiting Chinese Vice Foreign
Minister Wang Guangya also reaffirmed the importance of continuing from last
year the frequent mutual visits of the nations' leaders, the officials said.
Earlier Friday, Wang reached similar agreements with his Japanese counterpart
Mitoji Yabunaka when they met in the ninth round of Japan-China strategic
dialogue.
The two vice ministers also affirmed stronger economic cooperation amid the
global financial crisis and agreed to continue working together on the issue of
food safety.
Friday's talks came amid tensions in the otherwise improving bilateral
relations over China's development of gas fields in the East China Sea, parts
of which claims by Japan and China overlap.
''We shared, in principle, the basic common understanding of the importance of
taking the June agreement seriously and to proceed speedily with working level
talks to draw up the details,'' a senior ministry official said of the meeting
between Yabunaka and Wang on condition of anonymity.
But the official implicitly acknowledged that there remains a significant gap
between Tokyo and Beijing over whether China should continue its exploration in
disputed areas on which the two sides agreed to continue negotiations.
Under the deal in June, which marked a breakthrough toward solving the
longstanding dispute, the two neighbors agreed to jointly explore an area near
the Japan-claimed median line and to continue talks over two other gas fields,
Kashi and Kusunoki.
Tokyo, which fears China's continued exploration near Kashi west of the line
may siphon off resources on Japan's side, has repeatedly lodged protests to
Beijing as it believes China should stop its activities until negotiations are
settled.
Meanwhile, China maintains it is within China's rights to continue the operations.
The official said Yabunaka and Wang agreed to go ahead with the working level
talks ''quietly'' as Beijing hopes to keep it low-key given domestic concerns
over public sentiment.
The Chinese government faced strong criticism from some Chinese, who complained
on Internet message boards that the authorities were selling out to Japan in
striking the June agreement.
In Friday's talks which lasted four and a half hours, Yabunaka also took up the
unresolved issue of tainted frozen dumplings imported from China that sickened
10 Japanese a year ago.
''We were told by the Chinese side that criminal investigations are under way
over there,'' the ministry official said, adding that the two vice ministers
agreed on continued cooperation among investigative authorities on both sides.
On the military front, in response to Japan's call for more transparency in its
spending and modernization of equipment, the Chinese side reiterated they are
only for defensive measures.
The two vice ministers also discussed economic issues, including Beijing's
concerns over a rise in unemployment as a result of slower growth amid the
global financial crisis, the official said.
The previous round of Japan-China strategic dialogue was held in Beijing last
February.
==Kyodo