According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, French President Macron has signed a law regarding the return of illicitly acquired cultural artifacts. The bill was passed by the French parliament on the 7th.
On the 7th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to a related question, saying that China appreciates France’s efforts to return cultural artifacts to their countries of origin and hopes that the law will be implemented soon. China and France have had successful cooperation in preventing the smuggling of cultural artifacts and returning those that have been lost.
“We are willing to work with France and other relevant parties to promote the protection and return of lost cultural artifacts through dialogue and cooperation, and to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between countries,” Lin Jian said.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the French Senate passed a bill on the 7th with 343 votes in favor and 0 against, aimed at simplifying the process of returning cultural artifacts to their countries of origin. The bill was previously agreed upon by the two houses of parliament and was passed by the National Assembly on the 6th.
The French Ministry of Culture announced that the law “aims to simplify the process of handling requests for the return of cultural artifacts from foreign countries.”
French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard said in a statement that the law “allows France to establish a consistent mechanism for dealing with requests for the return of cultural artifacts.”
The law adds provisions to the heritage code, allowing cultural artifacts that meet the conditions for return to be removed from public collections. The return of these artifacts can be approved through administrative procedures, without the need for individual legislation.
However, the law sets out a series of restrictive conditions for the identification and return of cultural artifacts. The law applies to cultural property of any geographical origin, but only to cultural artifacts acquired by France through illicit means between November 20, 1815, and April 23, 1972.
The return process requires that all requests be reviewed by a bilateral scientific committee established by France and the requesting country, and that the opinion of the National Committee for the Return of Cultural Property be sought. Additionally, the French government must submit an annual report to parliament on the requests it has received and the progress made in handling them.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on the 6th that only cultural artifacts that have been identified as having been acquired through illicit means, using scientific methods and strict legal standards, will be returned. She emphasized that the purpose of the legislation is “not to rewrite history, but to take responsibility for returning cultural property that was acquired unfairly.”
Currently, many of the valuable cultural artifacts in French museums were looted during the colonial expansion period.
Africa is a major victim, with over 90,000 African cultural artifacts held in French museums and private collections. In 1897, French and British troops looted thousands of bronze sculptures and ivory products from the Kingdom of Benin (now Nigeria). France also acquired ancient artifacts from the Middle East through archaeological excavations or unfair transactions, such as statues and inscribed stone steles from the Levant region.
In Asia, the French looted many valuable cultural artifacts through war and illicit means. After the British and French armies burned down the Summer Palace in 1860, thousands of porcelain, jade, and paintings were looted and are now held in the Chinese Museum at the Palace of Fontainebleau.
“One day, France will be able to return these ill-gotten gains to the countries that were looted,” wrote Victor Hugo in 1861, referring to the looting of the Summer Palace.
In recent years, France has been gradually promoting the return of cultural artifacts and human remains.
In 2023, France passed two laws, one for the return of cultural artifacts looted from Jewish families during World War II, and another for the return of human remains held in public collections. In March 2025, France officially returned a valuable cultural artifact, the “Talking Drum,” to Côte d’Ivoire.
Currently, several African countries, including Algeria, Mali, and Benin, have submitted requests to France for the return of cultural artifacts. With the new law in place, more requests are expected to be made in the future.
