On 23 September, a handover ceremony for the repatriation of 12 Chinese cultural objects was held at the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang and representatives of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe attended the ceremony. Mr Rao Quan, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Administrator of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) of China, delivered a video address.
Ambassador Zheng Zeguang said that cultural objects embody a country’s national spirit and sustain the identity of a civilisation. The repatriation of illicitly removed cultural objects to their countries of origin is a just act that helps safeguard the cultural objects of all countries and shows respect for the cultural rights and national feelings of their people. It is also a responsibility shared by all States Parties to the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (the UNESCO 1970 Convention).
He noted that President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilisation Initiative has pointed the way forward for China’s efforts to protect cultural heritage and for China’s cooperation with other countries in this area. Both China and the UK are countries with a major cultural sector and outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilisations. China will work closely with the UK to follow through on the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Andy Burnham during their recent telephone conversation, strengthen dialogue and cooperation at all levels and in different areas, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, especially in cultural heritage protection, deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and contribute to building a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UK.
Vice Minister Rao said that promoting the return of cultural objects to their countries of origin is a just cause that safeguards the cultural relics of all countries, respects the cultural rights and national sentiments of their people, and preserves the achievements of human civilisation. The repatriation of these cultural objects marks another important outcome of China and the UK working together to implement the relevant international convention and protect cultural heritage. It is hoped that the two sides will continue to work together on the repatriation of cultural property, achieve further cooperation results and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The UK representatives noted that, during his phone call with President Xi, Prime Minister Burnham reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to strengthening exchanges and cooperation across various fields and developing a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The return of the cultural objects is a positive outcome of the practical cooperation between the two countries. It also demonstrates their shared commitment to combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the spirit of mutual respect.
The 12 cultural objects returned by the UK were seized by the MPS in the course of an investigation. China and the UK are both States Parties to the UNESCO 1970 Convention. Within the framework of the Convention, the NCHA has worked closely with the UK side through the Chinese Embassy in the UK and successfully facilitated the return of the cultural objects.
