One of the stone carvings returned by U.S. to China. /Official WeChat account of the Chinese Consulate General in New York
A Chinese senior diplomat received two important stone carvings from the U.S. side at a ceremony held in New York on Tuesday in a sign of increasing cooperation on cultural heritage protection between the two major countries.
Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping celebrated the repatriation of the carvings at the Chinese cultural property repatriation ceremony held at Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
"The return of two 7th-century carvings symbolizes our cooperation in protecting cultural heritage. It will enhance the friendship between our two peoples and bring positive energy into China-U.S. relations," Huang said on his Facebook account.
Delivering his speech at the ceremony, Huang said the China-U.S. cooperation in cultural heritage protection not only sets a good example for the global fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property and more inter-governmental cooperation on cultural heritage protection, but also raises public awareness on the protection of cultural heritage.
Noting the two carvings dated back to more than 1,000 years ago, Huang said they remind us to look at and solve problems from the perspective of history and development.
Stressing China-U.S. relations should be fundamentally determined by the common interests and responsibilities of the two countries and the friendship between the two peoples, Huang said the Chinese Consulate General in New York is ready to work with all parties concerned to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and enhance cooperation to jointly promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations.
The repatriation marked the second time the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has cooperated with China to repatriate Chinese cultural relics. The first time was in 2021.
Since 2015, the U.S. has returned a total of 404 pieces of cultural relics and one paleontological fossil to China in five batches.
