China has demanded the right to vet thousands of journalists coming to Hong Kong for the handover ceremony.
But Britain and the Hong Kong Government have said the media should be able to travel freely to the territory.
China's raising of the issue in the Joint Liaison Group may heighten fears of curtailed press freedoms after the handover.
Access to the list of journalists is being discussed as part of negotiations which have stalled because of the Sino-British dispute over the scale of handover activities.
Chinese officials had requested 'joint appraisal' of journalists, a source said.
But details of the request had not been spelt out and it was unclear whether the Chinese wanted to vet the media coming to Hong Kong or those being allowed into events, according to the source.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club has expressed concern that foreign journalists might have to be accredited in Hong Kong after the handover as they are in China.