44th session of World Heritage Committee to open on July 16 in East China

BEIJING -- The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO will open on July 16 in Fuzhou, the capital of East China's Fujian province, according to a Monday press conference.

The session is slated between July 16 and July 31 and will see a total of 45 candidates reviewed for entry to the UNESCO World Heritage List, Vice Minister of Education Tian Xuejun told the press conference.

Tian, also director of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, added that the session will go online after its opening ceremony, being the first of its type to review world heritage items over the internet.

Zheng Jianmin, vice governor of Fujian, pledged efforts to implement strict COVID-19 epidemic control and ensure cybersecurity for the event.

China now boasts 55 UNESCO World Heritage sites, ranking top in the world tied with Italy, Tian said.

An item about Quanzhou, a coastal city of Fujian dubbed the world's marine trade center in ancient China, will be reviewed during the session, said Zhang Lei, an official with the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee was initially scheduled for June 29 to July 9, 2020, in Fuzhou and was postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.