Chinese FM: deadline undesirable for East China Sea consultation

Source: Xinhua | 03-12-2008 10:51

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- It is undesirable to set a deadline for the consultation on the East China Sea issue between China and Japan, said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi here Wednesday.

Yang made the remarks when answering a question raised by a Japanese journalist at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), or the parliament.

Chinese and Japanese leaders reached four new consensus on the issue during Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China and agreed to find early solutions that serve the overall interests, Yang said.

The foreign ministries of the two countries, guided by the consensus reached between the leaders, are building on the current progress and are discussing new solutions, he added.

However, "it is undesirable to set a deadline for the consultation," the minister said.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei