JAPAN AND CHINA ARE EXPECTED TO OPEN THE SIXTH ROUND OF TALKS ON JOINT GAS EXPLORATION IN THE DISPUTED EAST CHINA SEA ON JULY 8 AND 9 IN BEIJING, JAPAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY SAID FRIDAY, ACCORDING TO DPA. THE SCHEDULE TO RESUME THE NEXT DISCUSSION WAS ANNOUNCED THURSDAY FOLLOWING THE MEETING IN BEIJING BETWEEN JAPANESE VICE ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTER HIDEJI SUGIYAMA AND CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER WU DAWEI. "I SAID THAT WE NEED TO ACCELERATE OUR DIALOGUE FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF MAKING THE EAST CHINA SEA A SEA OF COOPERATION AND NOT CONFLICT," SUGIYAMA WAS QUOTED BY KYODO NEWS AGENCY. WU SAID THAT CHINA AGREES WITH JAPAN, ADDING THAT HE HOPES TO MAKE EFFORTS TO FIND COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, ACCORDING TO SUGIYAMA. IN THE LAST TALKS HELD IN MAY, JAPAN PROPOSED THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL GAS IN FOUR FIELDS, INCLUDING CHUNXIAO, KNOWN IN JAPANESE AS SHIRAKABA, NEAR THE MIDWAY LINE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES' COASTLINES, WHICH JAPAN CLAIMS TO BE THE BORDER BETWEEN THEIR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONES. WHILE CHINA PROPOSED EXPLORATION OF RESOURCE-RICH SITES NEAR THE DIAOYU ISLANDS, OR THE SENKAKU ISLANDS IN JAPANESE, JAPAN PROTESTED AGAINST THE OFFER AT THE PREVIOUS TALKS. THE TWO NATIONS BEGAN TALKS ON NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN OCTOBER 2004 BUT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO DISAGREE OVER THE UNSETTLED DEMARCATION LINE BETWEEN THEM IN THE EAST CHINA SEA. THE TWO COUNTRIES' 200-NAUTICAL-MILE ECONOMIC ZONES OVERLAP.
