Last week, the two relics were auctioned for 14 million euros (17.92 million U.S. dollars) each in Christie's sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) and Pierre Berge in the Grand Palace of Paris.

After the sale, China's cultural heritage authorities ordered strict checks of all exports and imports by Christie's in China.

On Monday, a Chinese antiques collector named Cai Mingchao identified himself as the person behind the winning bids for the two relics. But he said at a press conference that he would not pay for that.

Cai, a collection advisor of the National Treasures Fund in China, said he believed that "any Chinese person would stand up at this time" and he was making an effort to fulfil his own responsibilities.

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

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2009)