Insisting that the Dalai Lama [Images] should show "sincerity" and take "concrete actions" for holding further talks, China on Thursday said it was "serious" in continuing the dialogue with envoys of the Tibetan leader.

"On the issue of contact between the Central government and the Dalai Lama, the Central government's attitude is serious, honest and sincere," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a briefing in Beijing [Images].

He was reacting to a query on remarks by the Tibetan government in exile that there had not been progress in the first fence-mending talks between representatives of the government and the envoys of Dalai Lama held in the southern Chinese city of Shenzen on Sunday.

The Dalai Lama's envoys -- Lody Gyary and Kelsang Gyaltsen, on Thursday said in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibet [Images]an government in exile, that they made it clear to Beijing that the violence in Tibet were "inescapable consequences" of their wrong policies.

They also termed the talks as "failure". The envoys said both sides were trying to finalise the dates for formal talks.

Reacting to the envoys' remarks Qin said: "We hope that the side will also exert sincerity with concrete actions to truly stop separatist activities, stop provoking violent actions and stop disrupting the Beijing Olympics [Images] so as to create conditions for contacts."

Sunday's meeting, dubbed as informal talks, was the first contact between the two sides ever since the strongest-ever anti-government protests took place in Tibet in March.

It came after the West prodded China to hold talks with the Dalai Lama.

About 20 people have been killed in violence since the trouble erupted in March posing a big challenge to the Communist nation's rule in the Himalayan region.