HANOI - Chinese and Vietnamese working groups held the first round of negotiations on the demarcation and joint exploitation of the maritime space at the entrance to the Beibu Gulf on May 21-22 in Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

A Chinese embassy official told Xinhua Wednesday that the negotiation was held in accordance with the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and heads of the border negotiation delegations.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the demarcation and joint exploitation of the maritime space at the entrance to the Beibu Gulf, and agreed to hold the second round of negotiations in China in the second half of this year.