Chinese police nab 58 of 62 most-wanted cultural relic criminals

BEIJING - Chinese police have netted 58 out of 62 fugitives who were on the most-wanted list since 2017 for their involvement in crimes related to cultural relics, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

China has seen fewer crimes involving cultural relics in recent years, as the country has launched special campaigns to crack down on such illegal activities, the ministry told a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Chinese police have cracked over 7,900 cases involving crimes related to cultural relics, and made more than 8,600 arrests since 2017 when the ministry teamed up with the National Cultural Heritage Administration to launch a three-year crackdown on such crimes.

In August 2020, the ministry renewed its efforts with a one-year campaign targeting cultural relic-related crimes, which saw crackdowns on 337 gangs and 3,544 arrests as of May 31.