Transactions of cultural relics have always been monopolized by the State. It bans people and organizations other than those approved by the cultural administrative authority from doing such business.

Private holders may sell their relics, but they are prohibited from making a profit. And they are strictly banned from selling cultural relics to foreigners.

A proposed amendment to the law on the protection of cultural relics would permit private transactions of cultural relics while the nation enhances supervision and management of the cultural relics market.

The ongoing 27th session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) held a third round of deliberations on the draft amendment yesterday.

The draft amendment says people can get legally maintained cultural relics through purchases or exchanges.

The regulation was drafted in response to calls by some legislators to meet the increasing demand of private cultural relics collectors, who believe opening the market will help protect cultural relics, said Zhou Keyu, vice-director of NPC Law Committee.

"Private transactions of cultural relics will help collect those treasures that may have drained," legislator Xie Youqing said.

Noting that grave robberies and embezzlement of cultural relics by management staff are still rampant, legislator Zhu Kaixuan said yesterday that the law should put some restrictions on the transaction of cultural relics among private holders.

(China Daily April 26, 2002)