China, U.S. Extend Archeological Heritage Protection

U.S. restrictions upon the import of certain archaeological material from China will continue following the five-year extension of a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

Restrictions on importing Chinese archaeological material such as this figure of a Tang Dynasty horse and rider will continue following the five-year extension of a bilateral agreement between the United States and China.

“This extension, consistent with the recommendations made by the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, represents a continuation of cooperation that began in 2009 when the U.S. imposed import restrictions to stanch the pillage of China’s rich archaeological heritage and the illicit trafficking in pillaged cultural property,” the Department of State said in a January 13 notice.

The bilateral memorandum of understanding covers items dating from the Paleolithic Period through the Tang Period (approximately 75,000 B.C.E. to 907 C.E.) and monumental sculpture and wall art at least 250 years old as of January 14, 2009. The agreement also will facilitate more exhibition loans to U.S. museums and sustained advanced international research on Chinese archaeological sites, the State Department says.

More information is available in a Federal Register notice on the import restrictions and on a State Department webpage on the cultural property agreement.