Oversight on antiques trade tightened

China's authorities have tightened oversight on auction houses, antiques markets, short-video platforms and second-hand online trading sites to tackle the black market trade of cultural relics.

They aim to raise the bar for legal entry for the trade of antiques and art, improving the scrutiny of sources and focusing on eliminating irregularities in related sectors, Luo Qingdong, deputy head of the first procuratorial office of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said at a news conference on Monday in Beijing.

From January 2021 to September, procuratorates nationwide approved the arrest of 3,192 people and prosecuted 5,020 people over obstructing the management of cultural relics, said Luo.