In 1985, China signed to join in the Convention as a state party. On October 28th, 1999, China was selected as a member of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Committee.
In October 2003, when the 14th General Conference of State Party was held, Mr. Zhang Xinsheng, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education of the P.R.C., and Director of the China National Commission of UNESCO, chaired the 28th World Heritage Session. He put forward the theme “Protect the World Heritages, Boost the Common Development”.