Vice Minister Rao Quan,

Assistant Director Ricardo Mayoral,

Distinguished guests,

Dear friends,

It is a great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and witness together the return of Chinese cultural relics and fossils to their motherland. Today’s handover is both a major achievement in mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the United States, and also a significant moment in the preservation of cultural heritage. To start with, I would like to thank Homeland Security Investigations, and in particular the Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities Program, for their unremitting efforts to support the repatriation of cultural property. Let me also pay tribute to organizations, cultural workers and friends in both our countries who have been committed to this noble cause.

The repatriation of cultural property serves as a beacon of justice, safeguarding the shared cultural heritage of humanity. Cultural relics are invaluable and non-renewable resources. As President Xi Jinping emphasized, “The preservation of cultural relics both benefits people today and leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.” Combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property and facilitating its repatriation is a just cause pursued by all humanity. Today, we are witnessing the handover of 58 artifacts of 10 batches, which would not have been possible without the collaboration between the competent authorities of our two countries over the years. Among them is a Bodhisattva statue of the Tianlongshan Grottoes in Shanxi Province. Looted and trafficked overseas more than 100 years ago, it could finally return home today. The other relics, including pottery figurines, stone statues and fossils, also hold significant historical, cultural and scientific value. Their return demonstrates our two countries’ shared responsibility to history, our respect for civilization, and our commitment to justice, and has set a shining example for global cooperation in the restitution and return of illegally trafficked cultural property. As the proverb goes, “Many hands make light work.” China stands ready to continue working with the U.S. and more countries to fulfill our mission of preserving cultural heritage, and carry forward the flame of human civilization.

The repatriation of cultural property sets up a ladder of progress, bearing witness to the continuation and renewal of the Chinese civilization. With the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, more and more displaced Chinese cultural relics are returning home, where they are being better protected, utilized, and given new life. At the Liangzhu site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the over 5,000-year-old ancient city is brought back to life through VR glasses. At the Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan Province, artificial intelligence is helping decipher oracle bone script from over 3,000 years ago. I am glad to share with you that the Zidanku silk manuscript, which returned to China from the U.S. last year, has reunited with other fragments at home, and is now undergoing comprehensive multidisciplinary decipherment. I believe that after returning to their homeland, the cultural relics handed over today will also gain a new life, and inject fresh impetus into the development of both Chinese and world civilizations. China upholds openness, inclusiveness, and exchanges with the world in the preservation of cultural heritage. We are willing to actively share our experience and achievements, and work together with all to implement the Global Civilization Initiative, so that all civilizations will flourish and bloom.

The repatriation of cultural property also builds a bridge of cooperation, broadening the path to win-win cooperation. Law enforcement cooperation in protecting cultural property has become a highlight of China-U.S. cooperation, yielding fruitful outcomes. Since the signing of an MOU for cooperation in 2009, the two sides have engaged in practical cooperation to prevent the illicit trafficking of and combat cross-border crimes involving cultural relics, and facilitate their repatriation, bringing multiple batches of Chinese cultural property in the U.S. back home. Cultural institutions and museums in both countries have also been working more closely together, carrying out inter-museum loan programs, dialogue, digital revitalization, and academic exchanges. The latest exhibition “Selections from Three Millennia of Chinese Art” presented by China Institute Gallery has been a big hit. The University of Chicago virtually reconstructed the Tianlongshan Grottoes, imbuing ancient Chinese art treasures with new vitality. People have also pitched in, and our Embassy and Consulates-General in the U.S. have been receiving cultural relics returned by friends from various sectors. When Ms. Suzanne Fratus from California returned two pottery figurines to China, she said, “It is not through money or politics that these figurines have come home to you. They were returned through the power of love and respect for you, the Chinese people.” This speaks volumes about the affinity and goodwill between our two peoples.

Dear friends,

Civilizations live on, and cultural treasures never cease to shine through the ages. China-U.S. cooperation on the repatriation of cultural property has proven once again that, as long as our two countries work in the same direction in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, we are fully capable of accomplishing many great and concrete things, for the good of our two countries and the whole world. This year is a big year for China-U.S. relations. At their historic summit this May in Beijing, our heads of state agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability. The handover today is a tangible outcome of our joint efforts to act on the new vision. China stands ready to work with the U.S. side to continue implementing our Presidents’ important consensus, unlock the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the sustained development of China-U.S. relations along the track of constructive strategic stability, and jointly find a path for our two major countries to get along in the new era based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.