Japan, China to Hold More Gas Talks Early March

China and Japan agreed to hold the fourth round of governmental talks on their dispute over gas exploration in the East China Sea in early March in Beijing, Trade Minister Toshihiro Nikai said.

Nikai told a press conference in Beijing that he and Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan reached the agreement in a meeting earlier in the day in the Chinese capital.

The gas dispute stems from unsettled demarcation in the sea where the two countries' 200-nautical-mileIexclusive economic zones overlap. Japan is concerned that China, which has been tapping gas fields in the East China Sea, might siphon off resources that could be under waters claimed by Japan.

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