Chinese bidder refuses to pay for bronze sculptures

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 03-03-2009 09:18

Click for more news in World Wide Watch>>

A Chinese man says he was the successful bidder for two bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week. And he says he has no intention of paying.

Cai Mingchao, a collection advisor of National  Treasures Fund who successfully bid for two looted  bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week,  attends a news conference in Beijing, on March 2,  2009. Cai said on Monday his winning bid will not  be paid. Cai bid 31.49 million euros (39.63  million U.S. dollars) by telephone during the  auction at Christie's on Feb. 25, Niu Xianfeng,  deputy director of the fund, said at a brief press  conference Monday. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Cai Mingchao is a collection advisor for the National Treasures Fund. He successfully registered as an individual bidder on the day of the auction and bid 31.49 million euros by telephone.

Cai say he will not pay for the treasures. China has repeatedly demanded the return of the sculptures looted by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War. A motion filed with a French court to stop the auction was rejected.

China said on Monday that Christie's auction of the two Chinese relics was a lesson to the whole world.

-- Backgrounder: Stolen Chinese artifacts>>

-- A review of event:

Two bronze sculptures that were looted from China's Old  Summer Palace

Chinese gov´t objects to auction of looted relics

Director of the museum department with the administration, Song Xinchao, says the sale of such items would offend the sensibilities of the Chinese people.

Christie's is set to auction two bronze head sculptures in Paris from February 23rd to the 25th. Full Story>>

Chinese lawyers move to block auction of relics

Chinese lawyers have put forward to a local court a motion aimed at blocking this auction. The court is set to handle the case on Monday noon local time. Full Story>>

French court rules against auction suspension

A Paris tribunal has ruled against suspending the auction of two Chinese bronze statue heads by the Christie's. The ruling was announced on Monday, about an hour before the auction of the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent's estate began. Full Story>>

FM: Chinese artifacts looted in wartime should be returned

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu says Chinese artifacts looted or lost in wartime should be returned, and it is absurd to trade them against so-called "human rights" issues. Full Story>>

Lawyers to continue efforts to take Chinese relics back

Chinese lawyers pledged to continue their efforts to bring two looted bronze sculptures back home. Their bid in a Parisian court to stop the two being auctioned at Christie's has been quashed. Full Story>>

Chinese relics auctioned off for 14 mln Euros each

Two controversial ancient Chinese relics have been auctioned off for 14 million Euros each by anonymous telephone bidders at Christie's. Full Story>>

-- Reactions:

China condemns Christie´s sculpture sale, warns of "serious effects"

In a statement, the administration says China did not acknowledge what it called the illegal possession of the two sculptures, and would continue to seek the return of the sculptures by all means. Full Story>>

American Chinese collectors urge boycott of Christie´s

American Chinese collectors on Tuesday urged the Chinese government to take action against Christine's, and called for a boycott of the auctioneer if it insists on auctioning two historic bronze sculptures looted from a Chinese imperial garden. Full Story>>

CCTV reporter in Paris: Responses to the auction of Chinese relics

CCTV correspondent in Paris, Wang Botao, brings back some of the responses to the auction of the animal sculpture heads. Video>>

-- Related:

China imposes limits on cultural relics

In response to the auction of the two bronze sculptures that were looted from China's Old Summer Palace , the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, or SACH, imposed limits on Thursday restricting what the auction house can bring in or take out of China. Full Story>>

Editor:Zhang Ning