China is making active efforts in heritage protection and has made great progress in dealing with its cultural and natural heritages, UNESCO World Heritage Center Director Francesco Bandarin said in Suzhou Sunday.

Bandarin, who is here attending the 28th session of the world heritage committee, said that he has noticed greater consciousness from the Chinese public in heritage conservation and he believed the ten-day session will "have an impact" to increase the consciousness of Chinese people as well as of the other countries in the world.

The 28th session is scheduled to open on Monday. Over 500 participants from nearly 100 countries are expected to review 27 agendas, discuss 48 nominations of cultural, natural and mixed properties to the World Heritage List and listen to 157 conservation reports of the world heritage sites.

"This is going to be a very intense meeting and this is also why for the first time in history the world heritage committee meets for ten days," Bandarin said.

Bandarin said the Chinese government has made great efforts in preparing for the session. "We've never in our history had a venue so well-equipped and so well organized. It is a good expression of the Chinese government's commitment in protecting world heritage."

China signed the convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage in 1985. By July 2003, China had 29 heritage sites on the World Heritage List, following Spain and Italy.

Bandarin said he personally visited several world heritages in China, including the heritage sites in Beijing, Suzhou, Xi'an, and Dujiangyan. "I was glad to see that they are all very well managed."

In addition to "the good side", the director said he was also worried that with China's booming economy and urban development, many parts of China's historical cities were not well respected and maintained.

"There is an urgent need to preserve historical urban fabric, though it might be late, but it is still not too late," Bandarin said.

He said China is not unique in the problem with conservation of historical cities. "Many countries in other continents had experienced the same problem."

The UNESCO official suggested China borrow the successful experience of the European and Latin American countries and work together with international partners to improve its conservation of historical cities.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2004)