Will French bill on looted artifacts bring home Chinese treasures?

France's National Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a bill to simplify the restitution procedure of artworks looted during the colonial era, in a move experts hailed as a major legal breakthrough in returning cultural property to countries of origin. However, they warned of challenges ahead for the recovery of displaced cultural relics, particularly those from China.

The bill is ready for further review before being signed into law by the French president.

As a premier nation in cultural heritage, France has a dedicated law stating that any cultural property collected by French state-owned museums and similar institutions, including those originating from foreign countries, is considered French cultural property, said Huo Zhengxin, professor of law at China University of Political Science and Law. He added that the law prohibits the French government from transferring ownership of such cultural property to foreign governments.

Citing a case where China and France negotiated for years to let gold ornaments stored at a French museum be finally returned to China due to the rule that state-owned cultural property is non-transferable, Huo said the recently passed bill significantly overcomes obstacles in French domestic law, marking a major legal breakthrough.

Challenges ahead

Huo, who has seen the French version of the bill, said it primarily allows the French government to return cultural artifacts unlawfully acquired from foreign countries between 1815 and 1972. The bill also includes some vague and excluded items, such as military goods, archaeological discoveries, and public archives, that are not subject to restitution, he added.

Duan Yong, an expert in Chinese overseas cultural relics research, said the bill changes the previous practice of adjusting the status of public property, which required a legislative debate process for each individual case. That practice constituted the biggest obstacle for French state-owned institutions to return looted cultural artifacts, even serving as an excuse for refusing restitution.

Notwithstanding the legislation, whether and when cultural artifacts can be recovered depends crucially on future developments, Huo emphasized.

Multiple challenges lie ahead for the repatriation of cultural relics, especially those from China, Duan said.

The French bill, once officially takes effect, will only have legal validity for French state-owned and public institutions, and not for private entities, Duan noted, adding that it does not automatically imply that Chinese cultural relics held by France will return to the motherland.

Duan also noted that the return of Chinese cultural relics from France involves a difficult provenance and review process, due to a lack of specific archival records.

According to the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, more than 10 million Chinese artifacts have been displaced overseas since the Opium War of 1840 as a result of warfare and illicit trade. In France alone, over 2.6 million Chinese cultural relics are scattered across a slew of French museums and libraries, including the Louvre and the Palace of Fontainebleau.

Noting the vast number and variety of Chinese cultural relics in overseas collections, Duan said the illegal acquisition of relics thorugh plunder or unethical low-price purchases represents an extremely complex challenge.

Therefore, a detailed and specific analysis is required on this matter, Duan concluded.

As for Duan, the cultural relics that are most hopeful and most deserving of being returned to China from France are those looted from the Old Summer Palace, which are mainly housed in the Chinese Palace at the Palace of Fontainebleau.

China's efforts

In recent decades, China has employed a multipronged approach, including law enforcement cooperation, diplomacy, lawsuits and negotiations, to reclaim its lost artifacts.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration has initiated research on the provenance and circulation history of cultural relics lost over time. 

In 2024, China revised its Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics, introducing new provisions for the repatriation of overseas artifacts and emphasizing increased inter-departmental coordination in the pursuit of these objects.

China has also engaged in international governance, signing agreements with 27 countries to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts.

In 2025, China was elected chair of the Eighth Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, marking the first time the country has assumed the role and expanding its influence on the international stage for their repatriation.

Through a combination of legal action and diplomatic negotiation, the country saw 35 batches comprising 537 pieces of Chinese cultural relics and artworks returned home during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) alone.

In 2025, two volumes of Chinese silk manuscripts dating back about 2,300 years were returned to China at a handover ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., thanks to cooperation between Chinese and US cultural institutions.