China says auction of looted sculptures will seriously hurt national sentiment

So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned to China. The whereabouts of five others are unknown.

A team of 81 Chinese lawyers wrote to Christie's auction house in an effort to stop the sale of the bronzes. The team also attempted to get a French court to halt the case, but the court ruled against the bid on Monday.

"It is the international community's consensus as well as the basic cultural rights and interest of the people of the original owning country of cultural assets to protect cultural relics and return them to the original owning countries," Ma said.

He added that the Chinese government has attached great importance to the retrieval of looted cultural items. He added that it has joined international conventions, signed bilateral agreements with many countries and actively participates in international cooperation in this regard.

"The western powers have plundered a great amount of Chinese cultural relics in wars, including many precious items robbed from the Old Summer Palace. All these should be returned to China," Ma said.