Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed Monday in Tokyo with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to begin bilateral negotiations on a treaty over gas fields in the East China Sea.
Japan and China agreed in 2008 to jointly develop the gas fields, but there has been little progress on implementation.
"There was a clear difference" in Wen's position over the gas fields, said a Foreign Ministry official who attended the summit.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.