The Minister of Culture of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Sun Jiazheng, as President of the INCP for 2004, has the pleasure to welcome ministers and delegates to the 7th Annual Ministerial Meeting of the INCP that will take place in Shanghai, China, from October 15-17. China has chosen as its theme for this year's meeting Traditional Cultures and Modernisation. The protection and development of traditional culture has become an important component of mankind’s efforts in safeguarding world cultural diversity and the sustainable development of human society in the process of economic globalisation. Therefore, this year’s meeting will give us the opportunity to discuss and share experiences on how to preserve and carry forward our respective traditions and how to ensure the effective involvement of the traditional culture of various nations in the social development process, questions which have become matters of common concern for developed and developing countries alike. In addition to the main theme, this year’s meeting will give Ministers the occasion to pursue important discussions on a number of issues such as the progress made to date at UNESCO on the development of the Convention on the Protection of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expression. Discussion will also focus on emerging policy trends and issues such as interculturality and media and cultural diversity. The International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) is an informal, international venue where national ministers responsible for culture can explore and exchange views on new and emerging cultural policy issues and to develop strategies to promote cultural diversity. For more, please contact: Mr. Brendon Rafferty Acting Director, Liaison Bureau International Network on Cultural Policy 25 Eddy Street, 13th Floor Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5 Tel: + 1 819 953 6556 Fax: +1 819 953 8439 e-mail: incp-ripc@pch.gc.ca