China's President Hu Jintao said he has hopes for a positive outcome between representatives of the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials at talks that began this morning - the first since violent anti-government protests erupted in Tibet in March.
"I hope that the contacts with the Dalai Lama's side from today will yield a positive outcome," Hu told Japanese reporters in Beijing, the Kyodo News agency reported.
Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharmsala, India, confirmed the envoys arrived in the southern city of Shenzhen and that talks had begun.
A report by China's official Xinhua News Agency confirmed the Dalai Lama's envoys, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, would meet with two vice ministers of the United Front Work Department, Zhu Weiqun and Sita, who are designated to deal with influential people in groups outside China's Communist Party.
The meeting location was not announced but a large group of reporters from Japan and Hong Kong were staking out a gated development of villas where high-ranking leaders are known to stay in a leafy suburb of Shenzhen.
The Dalai Lama's representatives planned to push for an easing of tensions in Tibetan areas of China and address Beijing's accusations that the spiritual leader has been masterminding the recent unrest, Samdhong Rinpoche told a public rally in Dharmsala.
"Our hopes are high, but this is just a small step in a long process," he said.
The Tibetan government-in-exile has called the meetings "informal talks with representatives of the Chinese leadership."
International critics have accused China of heavy-handed tactics in quelling protests in Tibet and Tibetan-community areas of western China. Some experts believe Beijing agreed to meet with the Dalai Lama's envoys to ease that criticism ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.