Delegates attending six-party talks on the North Korea nuclear crisis broke for the day today, and the chief US negotiator was cautiously optimistic that a Chinese draft could produce progress.
The fifth day of the negotiating round began with China presenting a draft document for discussion by the group, which also includes the two Koreas, Russia and Japan.
US chief negotiator Christopher Hill said late today the delegations would meet again to try to "build a final text".
"When we are able to do that is hard to tell because these things can take time. Different countries have different viewpoints on them," he told reporters.
"I think in our view, the Chinese text represents a good basis for further negotiations and further discussion," he said giving no further details. "It's hard to tell about progress until you actually have an agreement."
The main protagonists, the Americans and the North Koreans, appeared as entrenched as ever, diplomats said.
Pyongyang is sticking to its demands for security guarantees and aid in return for abandoning its nuclear weapons development, while Washington insists the atomic programmes be dismantled first.