South Korea and China opened the first talks Tuesday on their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in seven years but skepticism is rampant over an early deal.

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin began the negotiations here in an amicable mood as they cited good relations between Seoul and Beijing these days.

Cho said the two sides are bracing for "difficult and lengthy" talks due to legal and technical issues.

"The negotiations are very difficult and important. It's not a situation that the talks will end with one or two meetings," he told reporters after around two and a half hours of discussions with Liu.

He added, "It's the most meaningful that the negotiation process has commenced with today's talks."

He also stressed the need for a "fair resolution."

Liu agreed that the resumption of the talks this year is "historically meaningful."

They stopped short of revealing whether they set a schedule for the next meeting.

The two countries had 14 rounds of director general-level talks from 1996 to 2008 but failed to reach an agreement.

Many expect the talks to take at least a few years, given the sensitivity of the matter.

South Korea wants the maritime border to be drawn at the halfway point between the two nations. But China says it should be closer to South Korea at a distance proportionate to the length of their respective coastlines.

The results of the EEZ negotiations will affect the ownership of Ieodo, a submerged reef controlled by Seoul that lies 149 kilometers southwest of Korea's southernmost island of Marado and 247 kilometers northeast of the nearest Chinese island Tongdao.

South Korea has scientific research facilities on Ieodo, rich in fishery and strategically important in terms of sea lanes.(Yonhap)