When foreign ministers from Japan and China meet in Beijing this weekend, Japan will urge for a prompt resolution to their dispute over gas fields in the East China Sea, as stated by a Japanese ministry official. Despite improving relations between the two countries, particularly highlighted by a recent port call by a Chinese missile destroyer in Tokyo, the disagreement regarding natural gas development remains unresolved. The Japanese official expressed hope that China will make a political decision to reach a final agreement on the matter, emphasizing the importance of finding a solution. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura is expected to address this issue during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Saturday. The upcoming talks will cover topics such as macro-economic policies, Beijing's currency reforms, climate change, and trade and investment. Despite the lack of progress in the recent 11th round of talks regarding natural gas development in the East China Sea, Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China may still proceed as planned. Japan has stated that resolving the gas dispute is not a requirement for the visit, which is expected to take place later this year or early in 2008. However, both countries had agreed in April to report on a compromise to their leaders in the autumn. "This is the right time for us to increase our efforts," he mentioned. "It is not just about the economic consequences, but also about Japanese public perception." Both parties are keen on obtaining new oil and gas resources, but there is disagreement regarding the location of the maritime boundary that separates their exclusive economic zones. China's state-owned CNOOC Ltd announced in April that they had started gas production from Tianwaitian field and were prepared to start production from the larger Chunxiao field in the region, causing concerns in resource-poor Japan that this production could divert gas from what Tokyo considers to be its portion of the zone.