China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will begin talks on maritime demarcation next month, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday.
"A fair and proper solution on maritime demarcation through negotiation and consultation is important to the tranquility on sea and bilateral friendly cooperation," Hua said at a regular news briefing.
She hoped China and the ROK could sort out their overlapping maritime claims and set a model for those in the region facing similar problems.
China and the ROK announced they would start maritime demarcation in 2015 during President Xi Jinping's ROK visit in July, 2014.