On the morning of October 25 local time, with the authorization of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, the Chinese Embassy in Australia held a ceremony to receive Australia's return of four lost cultural relics, artworks and one paleontological fossil to China. The cultural relics, artworks, and fossils returned this time have high historical, artistic, and scientific value. Among them, painted pottery figurines with horse riding figures from the Northern Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, bronze gilded Buddha statues from the late Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, and Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous buried dragon fossils were all intercepted by the Cultural Property, Collections, and Cultural Relics Office of the Australian Federal Government's Department of Arts during the customs entry process. Since November 2020, the National Cutural Heritage Administration, together with the Department of Natural Resources, has worked closely with the Chinese Embassy in Australia, and with the cooperation of the Cultural Property, Collections and Cultural Relics Office of the Department of the Arts of Australia, has carried out cooperation on the recovery and return of suspected illegal entry cultural relics, artworks and paleontological fossils seized by the Australian side, successfully facilitating the return. The hair hairpins of Ming and Qing Dynasties or modern times and Qing Dynasties were donated to the National Cutural Heritage Administration by the National Gallery of Australia and Mr. John MacDonald, an Australian friend. Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian stated that the return of these cultural relics to the motherland demonstrates the common commitment of the Chinese and Australian governments to protecting cultural heritage, and is a grand event for cultural heritage exchange and a witness to friendly cooperation between the two sides. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, cultural heritage exchanges and cooperation have become increasingly close, playing a positive role in promoting the development of bilateral relations. I hope that China and Australia can continue to work together and achieve more fruitful results, making greater contributions to enhancing mutual understanding among the people and the healthy development of bilateral relations. Tony Burke, the Australian Minister of Art for the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Hidden Dragon Fossils, stated that China has a profound historical and cultural heritage and has the right to recover stolen cultural relics and artworks. Australia attaches great importance to the issue of cultural relics and artworks being stolen, and is committed to promoting their return to their countries of origin in accordance with international museum industry rules. I hope these returned cultural relics can be exhibited in museums to enhance the audience's understanding of history and the friendship between the Chinese and Australian peoples. The director of the Australian National Gallery, Nick Mizvich, stated that the power of culture and art lies in sharing its beauty and extraordinary value with people. The donation of this cultural relic by the Australian National Gallery to the Chinese government reflects respect for cultural relics and deepens mutual understanding of the important value of cultural heritage. Looking forward to further consolidating and developing a stronger cooperative relationship with China through promoting mutual exchange and understanding on the basis of mutual respect. From the late Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, both China and Australia were parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Cutural Heritage Administration of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Environment, Water, Heritage and Arts of Australia on the Protection of Cultural Relics in 2009. This is the second time that Australia has returned cultural relics and artworks to China since returning one "Qing Dynasty Guanyin Statue" to me in 2015. It is also the first time that the Australian National Gallery and Australian citizens have donated cultural relics and artworks to China. (Reporter Li Zhengwei) (Xinhua News Agency)