On 1 August, a five-person delegation from China met with ICTP staff, including Claudio Tuniz, assistant director, Dag Johannessen, director of administration, and George Thompson, head, Office of External Activities. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the Centre’s activities to promote scientific capacity building in the developing world. ZHANG Xinsheng, China’s deputy minister of education, led the delegation. ZHANG also chairs the Chinese National Commission at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is president of the executive council at UNESCO. Philippe Pypaert, programme specialist, UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Science in Europe, accompanied the delegation.