China has condemned what it calls the illegal auction in Paris of two bronze artefacts taken from a Chinese palace 150 years ago.
It has also warned Christie’s auction house of unspecified consequences.
The strong statement said China did not recognise the 31m euros (£28m, $39m) sale of the bronze rat and rabbit.
The two items were sold as part of the estate of the late designer Yves Saint Laurent, which China had earlier demanded be called off.
“The State Administration of Cultural Heritage resolutely opposes and condemns all auctions of artefacts illegally taken abroad.
Unspecified consequences
“Christie’s must take responsibility for the consequences created by this auction,” the agency said in a statement posted on its website.
The cultural heritage agency said it had “pressed for the withdrawal of these Summer Palace relics”.
“But Christie’s took its own course and insisted on auctioning the relics looted from the Summer Palace in breach of the spirit of international pacts and the consensus on the return of such artefacts to their original countries,” it said.
“The State Administration of Cultural Heritage does not recognise the illegal owners of the looted relics and will continue to utilise all... necessary channels to recover all relics stolen and illegally exported throughout history,” it said.
The Chinese heritage administration said the auction would bring repercussions as it had “harmed the cultural rights and national feeling of the Chinese people”.
“This will have a serious impact on its development in China,” it said in the statement to the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party.
Online commentaries in China have blamed France, not just Christie’s, at a time when ties between Paris and Beijing have already been strained by French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s meeting late last year with the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.
A court in Paris had rejected a Chinese appeal to have the sale blocked.
A large proportion of the sale proceeds are to go to a foundation for Aids research.
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China condemns Christie’s auction
26 February 2009
China has condemned what it calls the illegal auction in Paris of two bronze artefacts taken from a Chinese palace 150 years ago.
It has also warned Christie’s auction house of unspecified consequences.
The strong statement said China did not recognise the 31m euros (£28m, $39m) sale of the bronze rat and rabbit.
The two items were sold as part of the estate of the late designer Yves Saint Laurent, which China had earlier demanded be called off.
“The State Administration of Cultural Heritage resolutely opposes and condemns all auctions of artefacts illegally taken abroad.
Unspecified consequences
“Christie’s must take responsibility for the consequences created by this auction,” the agency said in a statement posted on its website.
The cultural heritage agency said it had “pressed for the withdrawal of these Summer Palace relics”.
“But Christie’s took its own course and insisted on auctioning the relics looted from the Summer Palace in breach of the spirit of international pacts and the consensus on the return of such artefacts to their original countries,” it said.
“The State Administration of Cultural Heritage does not recognise the illegal owners of the looted relics and will continue to utilise all... necessary channels to recover all relics stolen and illegally exported throughout history,” it said.
The Chinese heritage administration said the auction would bring repercussions as it had “harmed the cultural rights and national feeling of the Chinese people”.
“This will have a serious impact on its development in China,” it said in the statement to the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party.
Online commentaries in China have blamed France, not just Christie’s, at a time when ties between Paris and Beijing have already been strained by French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s meeting late last year with the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.
A court in Paris had rejected a Chinese appeal to have the sale blocked.
A large proportion of the sale proceeds are to go to a foundation for Aids research.
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