Jordanian antiquities department chief said on Tuesday that his country is willing to cooperate with China in antiquities preservation and archaeology to help add new impetus to the already sound bilateral relations.

"Jordan and China established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, but our relations in archaeology and protection are only beginning," Dr. Fawwaz Khraysheh, Director General of the Department of Antiquities, told Xinhua in an interview.

He said the two nations should make good use of bilateral relations, noting that "it is time to use it to develop archaeological and protection cooperation."

China has an amazing civilization and the Chinese is good at protecting cultural relics, Khraysheh said, adding that it was necessary for the two countries to establish this kind of links and cooperate in archaeological technology, relic protection and management.

Three months ago, Jordan sent two archaeological engineers to China to be trained there for one month, marking the first delegation of Jordanian antiquities to China, according to Khraysheh.

"We have already sent invitations to China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage," he said, highlighting that the Chinese delegation will arrive in Amman early next month to figure out what they can do in relic protection and archaeology in the future.

The director general also disclosed Jordan's plan to launch exhibitions about Jordanian heritages in China.

Khraysheh, who have been studying for 22 years the culture of the Nabataeans who set up the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan in the 6th century B.C., also introduced the measures the Jordanian government has taken in protecting and preserving ancient sites, especially Petra.

Petra was declared as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1985.

Besides Petra, Jordan also features a string of cultural relics, such as Jerash, a well-reserved Roman city and Quseir Amra desert castle, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Amman office of the UNESCO is satisfied with Jordan's management plans to preserve ancient relics, according to Khraysheh.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)