China Import Restrictions

LCCHP Supports China's Request for an Agreement with the United States — by Patty Gerstenblith — last modified 02-11-2009 04:00 PM

China submitted a request for a bilateral agreement with the United States to restrict the import into the United States of undocumented archaeological materials. LCCHP submitted a letter to the U.S. State Department Cultural Property Advisory Committee in support of China's request. The U.S. and China entered into an agreement in January 2009. On January 14, 2009, the United States and the People’s Republic of China entered into a bilateral agreement, under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, imposing import restrictions on undocumented archaeological materials that belong to certain designated categories. The archaeological materials subject to import restriction represent China’s cultural heritage from the Paleolithic Period (beginning approximately 75,000 B.C.) through the end of the Tang Dynasty (907 A.D.) and monumental sculpture and wall art that is at least 250 years old. The designated categories of objects include bronze vessels, sculpture, coins, wall paintings, and objects of iron, gold, silver, bone, ivory, horn and shell, as well as silks, textiles, lacquer, bamboo, paper, wood, and glass. At the time of the public hearing on China’s request for an agreement, LCCHP submitted comments in support of China

Import Restrictions Imposed on Certain Archaeological Material from China — by admin — last modified 02-19-2009 02:09 PM

This final rule amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to reflect the imposition of import restrictions on certain archaeological material from the People’s Republic of China (China). These restrictions are being imposed pursuant to an agreement between the United States and China that has been entered into under the authority of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act in accordance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The final rule amends CBP regulations by adding China to the list of countries for which a bilateral agreement has been entered into for imposing cultural property import restrictions. The final rule also contains the designated list that describes the types of archaeological articles to which the restrictions apply.