diff --git a/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBuffer.java b/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBuffer.java
index 5ab0348..5a030f0 100644
--- a/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBuffer.java
+++ b/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBuffer.java
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@
     @Override
     public String readString(CharsetDecoder decoder) throws CharacterCodingException {
         if (!hasRemaining()) {
-            return null;
+            return "";
         }
 
         CharBuffer decoded = null;
diff --git a/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringType.java b/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringType.java
index dfc449c..24bea47 100644
--- a/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringType.java
+++ b/proton-j/src/main/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringType.java
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@
         {
             DecoderImpl decoder = getDecoder();
             int size = decoder.readRawInt();
-            return decoder.readRaw(_stringCreator, size);
+            return size == 0 ? "" : decoder.readRaw(_stringCreator, size);
         }
 
         public void setValue(final String val, final int length)
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@
         {
             DecoderImpl decoder = getDecoder();
             int size = ((int)decoder.readRawByte()) & 0xff;
-            return decoder.readRaw(_stringCreator, size);
+            return size == 0 ? "" : decoder.readRaw(_stringCreator, size);
         }
 
         public void setValue(final String val, final int length)
diff --git a/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBufferTest.java b/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBufferTest.java
index 45626bc..8c26555 100644
--- a/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBufferTest.java
+++ b/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/CompositeReadableBufferTest.java
@@ -2079,7 +2079,7 @@
     public void testReadStringFromEmptyBuffer() throws CharacterCodingException {
         CompositeReadableBuffer buffer = new CompositeReadableBuffer();
 
-        assertNull(buffer.readString(StandardCharsets.UTF_8.newDecoder()));
+        assertEquals("", buffer.readString(StandardCharsets.UTF_8.newDecoder()));
     }
 
     @Test
diff --git a/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringTypeTest.java b/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringTypeTest.java
index 6c376d5..320bd54 100644
--- a/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringTypeTest.java
+++ b/proton-j/src/test/java/org/apache/qpid/proton/codec/StringTypeTest.java
@@ -149,6 +149,69 @@
         assertEquals("read", result);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testEncodeAndDecodeEmptyString() {
+        final DecoderImpl decoder = new DecoderImpl();
+        final EncoderImpl encoder = new EncoderImpl(decoder);
+        AMQPDefinedTypes.registerAllTypes(decoder, encoder);
+
+        final ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(64);
+
+        encoder.setByteBuffer(buffer);
+        decoder.setByteBuffer(buffer);
+
+        encoder.writeString("a");
+        encoder.writeString("");
+        encoder.writeString("b");
+
+        buffer.clear();
+
+        TypeConstructor<?> stringType = decoder.readConstructor();
+        assertEquals(String.class, stringType.getTypeClass());
+        stringType.skipValue();
+
+        String result = decoder.readString();
+        assertEquals("", result);
+        result = decoder.readString();
+        assertEquals("b", result);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyShortStringEncod() {
+        doTestEmptyStringEncodAsGivenType(EncodingCodes.STR8);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyLargeStringEncod() {
+        doTestEmptyStringEncodAsGivenType(EncodingCodes.STR32);
+    }
+
+    public void doTestEmptyStringEncodAsGivenType(byte encodingCode) {
+        final DecoderImpl decoder = new DecoderImpl();
+        final EncoderImpl encoder = new EncoderImpl(decoder);
+        AMQPDefinedTypes.registerAllTypes(decoder, encoder);
+
+        final ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(64);
+
+        buffer.put(encodingCode);
+        buffer.putInt(0);
+        buffer.clear();
+
+        byte[] copy = new byte[buffer.remaining()];
+        buffer.get(copy);
+
+        CompositeReadableBuffer composite = new CompositeReadableBuffer();
+        composite.append(copy);
+
+        decoder.setBuffer(composite);
+
+        TypeConstructor<?> stringType = decoder.readConstructor();
+        assertEquals(String.class, stringType.getTypeClass());
+
+        String result = (String) stringType.readValue();
+        assertEquals("", result);
+    }
+
     // build up some test data with a set of suitable Unicode characters
     private static List<String> generateTestData()
     {