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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| China relics buyer refuses to pay | China relics buyer refuses to pay |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A Chinese man who won a high profile auction for two bronze artworks claimed by China says he will not pay for them. | A Chinese man who won a high profile auction for two bronze artworks claimed by China says he will not pay for them. |
| The sculptures, which sold for 15m euros ($19m; £13m) each in Paris last week, were originally looted from Beijing in 1860. | |
| Cai Mingchao, who has identified himself as the bidder, is an adviser to China's National Treasures Fund, which seeks to retrieve looted treasures. | Cai Mingchao, who has identified himself as the bidder, is an adviser to China's National Treasures Fund, which seeks to retrieve looted treasures. |
| He said his decision to bid for the bronzes had been a "patriotic" act. | He said his decision to bid for the bronzes had been a "patriotic" act. |
| "What I want to stress is that this money cannot be paid," Mr Cai told a news conference. | "What I want to stress is that this money cannot be paid," Mr Cai told a news conference. |
| "I believe that any Chinese person would stand up at this time... I am making an effort to fulfil my own responsibilities," he said in a statement released by the Fund. | |
| "But I must stress that I do not have the money to pay for this," he said. | "But I must stress that I do not have the money to pay for this," he said. |
| Legal questions | Legal questions |
| The two bronzes, in the shape of the heads of a rabbit and a rat, were auctioned by Christie's auction house in Paris last week as part of the estate of the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner. | The two bronzes, in the shape of the heads of a rabbit and a rat, were auctioned by Christie's auction house in Paris last week as part of the estate of the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner. |
| China says the bronzes were taken abroad illegally 150 years ago | China says the bronzes were taken abroad illegally 150 years ago |
| They had been originally taken by British and French troops from the imperial Summer Palace in October 1860, towards the end of the Second Opium War. | They had been originally taken by British and French troops from the imperial Summer Palace in October 1860, towards the end of the Second Opium War. |
| China had tried to stop the sale, and later threatened the business of Christie's in China for having gone ahead. | China had tried to stop the sale, and later threatened the business of Christie's in China for having gone ahead. |
| But Christie's said the sale was legal, a position backed by a French court. | But Christie's said the sale was legal, a position backed by a French court. |
| Correspondents say the sale has further soured relations between China and France, following a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader. | Correspondents say the sale has further soured relations between China and France, following a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader. |