China demands again return of looted relics

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-03 19:05

BEIJING -- China on Tuesday again demanded the return of two Chinese imperial bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week.

"The essence of the issue is that these cultural relics, which were looted and taken abroad, are originally owned by China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the regular briefing.

Cai Mingchao, an advisor to the National Treasure Fund of China, attends a news conference in Beijing March 2, 2009. He said he was the successful bidder for the two looted Chinese bronzes but would not pay for the bids. [CFP]

Qin's comment came after a Chinese man was identified as the successful bidder for the two looted bronze heads of a rabbit and a rat auctioned in Paris last week.

Cai Mingchao, who bid 31.49 million euros ($39.63 million) by telephone during the auction at Christie's in Paris, on Monday told a press conference that his winning bid would not be paid.

Qin said he learned the bidder was Chinese only after Cai and the National Treasure Funds of China (NTFC) held the press conference Monday.

"We oppose any auction of these cultural relics and demand the return of them," Qin said.

The bronze sculpture, a rabbit's head, was auctioned off on Wednesday night for 14 million euros (US$17.92 million) by anonymous telephone bidders in Christie's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of Paris. [CFP]

China has repeatedly demanded the return of the sculptures looted when the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was burned down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860. However, Christie's held the auction after a court in Paris turned down a motion by Chinese lawyers to stop the auction.