Chinese police solve over 1,070 cultural relics crimes from Jan-Nov 2023

BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have solved over 1,070 cases involving illegal excavation, theft and sales of cultural relics in the first 11 months of 2023, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.

Police have worked with cultural heritage authorities in cracking down on such crimes, leading to the arrest of over 2,400 suspects during this period and the retrieval of more than 13,000 pieces of cultural relics, the statement said.

Chinese police have focused their efforts on combating crimes including illegal excavation of ancient cultural sites and tombs, theft of cave temples, stone carvings and underwater cultural relics, as well as vandalism of revolutionary relics, the ministry said, adding that it has supervised the investigation of seven major cases related to cultural relics crimes. The authorities have also intensified efforts to hunt down fugitives involved in such activities.

The ministry is working with the National Cultural Heritage Administration to enhance a sustained mechanism for cracking down on and preventing such crimes. It is also building online platforms for the public to provide tip-offs and for publishing information about missing relics, according to the statement.