The two looted Chinese bronze sculptures that were auctioned in Paris should return to its motherland, head of a European art protection organization said in Beijing Thursday.

Relative Chinese authorities should negotiate with the current owners of the two looted bronzes and some French companies so that they could buy the cultural relics and donate them back to China, said Bernard Gomez, president of the Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in Europe(APACE), after APACE signed a memorandum of cooperation with the National Treasure Funds of China (NTFC).

Both side pledged to adopt proper, reasonable and legal means to get the two animal heads back to China, as well as explore a new way for the return of looted Chinese cultural relics through international civil cooperation, according to the memorandum.

Niu Xianfeng, deputy director of NTFC, praised APACE for its consistent support for helping China to pursue looted cultural relics.

China has repeatedly demanded the return of the sculptures looted when the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was burned down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860. However, Christie's held the auction after a court in Paris turned down a motion by Chinese lawyers to stop the auction.

Cai Mingchao, an NTFC collection advisor, bid 31.49 million euros (39.63 million U.S. dollars) by telephone during the auction at Christie's on Feb. 25. However, he later announced that he would not pay for the bid, which led to the de facto abortion of the auction.

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

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2009)