China's top cultural heritage official signed a memorandum with the American Planning Association (APA) in San Francisco on Monday on cooperation in historical preservation in city planning.

Shan Jixiang, director-general of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), said that China is eager to gain partners in the preservation of its culture and history.

The two organizations will exchange information on cultural conservation and heritage preservation in city planning in China and the United States. They will also work together in research and demonstration programs to further the principles of historical and cultural conservation and explore their application at the regional, national and local levels.

Educational and professional training exchanges at all levels are also part of the agreement.

Sun said he is confident that cooperative ventures such as the one with ABA will promote the integration of historical preservation and urban planning in China.

The APA is a nonprofit public interest and research organization that works in the field of urban, suburban, regional and rural planning. For more than 25 years it has worked with central and local governments in China to help cities conduct long- and short-term strategic development analyses and develop implementation plans and management systems.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn March 23, 2005)