Du told envoys Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen that the door of dialogue is always open, Xinhua reported. Two vice ministers of the United Front Work Department, Zhu Weiqun and Sita, also said there could be further meetings before the end of this year if the Dalai Lama's side takes positive actions. No other details were given.

The Xinhua report was the first time China has acknowledged meeting the Tibetan envoys for the latest round of talks. The Tibetan exile government has said the talks ended Wednesday in Beijing, but said it would not comment on the discussions until after the envoys briefed the Dalai Lama.

"That Xinhua has formally acknowledged the meeting between the Dalai Lama's envoys and the Chinese officials is a positive step," Samphal said.

The meetings this week follow informal talks held in early May in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen that ended with an offer from Beijing for future discussions.

China has governed Tibet since communist troops marched into the Himalayan region in the 1950s. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid a failed uprising in 1959, has said he wants some form of autonomy that would allow Tibetans to freely practice their culture, language and religion.

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Associated Press writer Ashwini Bhatia in Dharmsala, India, contributed to this report.