China, Mexico Join Forces Against Smuggling of Antiquities EFE
go to original April 7, 2012

BEIJING - The governments of China and Mexico signed Friday in Beijing an accord by which the two countries, both millennial cultures that frequently lose national treasures to robbery and contraband, agreed to join forces against such crimes.

The pact was signed by the Chinese deputy minister of culture, Li Xiaojie, and by the Mexican ambassador to Beijing, Jorge Guajardo, in the presence of the respective foreign ministers, Yang Jiechi and Patricia Espinosa.

"The accord aims to increase cooperation in matters of cultural heritage and to combat contraband while increasing efforts to halt the robbery of historical treasures," Espinosa told a press conference in giving a rundown of her two-day visit to the Asian country.

China and Mexico "have millennial cultures that have made us the target of traffickers of these cultural assets, but we're convinced that the more we cooperate...the more we will quash this illegal trade," she said.

Also announced during the visit was this year's opening of the first Center of Mexican Studies in China.

"It's purpose will be to disseminate Mexican culture in China," the center's future director, Guillermo Pulido, told Efe. "This is an opportunity for both China and Mexico to strengthen academic ties."

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