U.S. returns 2 illegally transported cultural relics to China

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Consulate General of China in New York received two illegally transported Chinese cultural relics from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday (New York time), Chinese cultural heritage authorities said Wednesday.

The returned cultural relics are two stone-carved tomb beds dating back about 1,100 to 1,600 years, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). They were discovered during a recent criminal investigation by the District Attorney's Office.

The NCHA said it has organized the transportation of the relics back to China, adding that they are of great historical, scientific and artistic value.

The U.S. side has returned 404 pieces and sets of artwork and a paleontological fossil in five batches to the NCHA since 2015.