Japan said China made no formal proposal but, Kenichiro Sasae, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, said there was a "better understanding" between the two countries on the matter after their Beijing talks.

Negotiators said they would meet more often to work out a solution.

Both China and Japan want to resolve their row over energy resources in the East China Sea by jointly developing gas fields, the Kyodo news service said. But, neither has been able to agree of where to put the projects.