Campaign on antiquities theft nets impressive results, to be extended

A nationwide operation to fight the theft of antiquities has achieved remarkable results, with about 58,000 items recovered by the end of August, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Police solved 2,200 cases and arrested 4,500 individuals during the one-year operation, which was launched by the ministry and the National Cultural Heritage Administration in August 2020.

Special attention was paid to cases involving the theft of stone carvings from grottoes, illegal excavations at ancient sites and tombs, thefts from ancient pagodas and other crimes targeting major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level.

The ministry said the operation targeted every step of these illegal activities from excavation, theft and trade, to the transportation and smuggling of relics. The number of crimes involving antiquities in 2020 dropped to the lowest point since 2013, demonstrating the operation's effectiveness.

The ministry and the NCHA have jointly formulated a document on strengthening security and prevention work in museums and heritage sites during the operation. Public security organs and cultural heritage authorities have also been carrying out joint patrols to eliminate potential safety hazards.

The two bodies held a meeting on Tuesday on combating and preventing antiquities crimes and decided to extend the operation for another year.

Li Qun, head of the NCHA, said at the meeting that the security of cultural relics remains tenuous, and the crackdown on antiquities crimes must be a long-term task. Departments responsible for safeguarding cultural relics should work closely with public security organs to combat further crimes.

Du Hangwei, Vice Minister of Public Security, urged the police to pay close attention to the evolving nature of antiquity theft and to carry out targeted raids.

Public security organs were also urged to strengthen cooperation with authorities responsible for cultural relics and customs, as well as market supervision departments, to secure the nation's heritage, Du said.