Opening address by Dr. Arpad Bogsch, Secretary-General of UPOV, Geneva, Switzerland; Welcome Address by Mr. Hui Yongzheng, Vice-President of the State Science and Technology Commission of China, Beijing, China; 1. General information on the UPOV system of plant variety protection : GREENGRASS, Barry. What is plant variety protection? TABATA, Makoto. An overview of plant variety protection in the world (the development of UPOV; the form of protection; implementation at the national level); 2. General information on the UPOV system of plant variety protection : TABATA, Makoto. The technical criteria for protection; GREENGRASS, Barry. The 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention; 3. Selected topics on plant variety protection : KIEWIET, Bart P. Plant variety protection in the Netherlands : the European approach to plant variety protection; WATSON, Grant. Plant variety protection in Canada : the experience of a new member state of UPOV; KANAZAWA, Ko?ji. The testing of flower varieties in Japan; IWASA, Yoshito. Plant variety protection in the flower business; 4. Plant variety protection in the Asian and Pacific region : QIAOSHENG, Zhuang. The achievements of and prospects for plant breeding in China; WANG, Keping. Regulations on seed management and the current situation of the protection of new plant varieties in China; The current situation of the plant breeding and seed industries in the Asian and Pacific Region; the policy on the protection of new varieties : Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand; Closing address by Mr. Barry Greengrass; Closing address by Mr. Song Zehou;.