Illegal maritime artifacts seized in Beijing

Ninety-one pieces of wild marine animal products seized by a Beijing court in a case handling has been handed over to an ocean museum in Qionghai, Hainan province, for collection and research.

The capital's Pinggu District People's Court announced on Monday, saying that the items given to the China (Hainan) Museum Of The South China Sea were mainly made of giant clams and tortoiseshells, which were illegally acquired by a defendant in a market in Qionghai between 2014 and 2021.

Both tortoiseshells and giant clams are national-level protected animals, meaning their products are prohibited, according to the court.

After knowing that the museum began receiving the collections confiscated by courts and departments on public security, border defense, customs, coast guard and industry and commerce in 2020, the Pinggu court decided to hand over the wildlife products seized in the lawsuit to the venue, in addition to punishing the defendant.

"The handling of the precious wild marine animal products in this way will promote judicial protection of environmental resources and scientific research, and it is also conducive to protecting cultural relics," said An Fengde, vice-president of the Beijing High People's Court.

Su Qiya, head of the Hainan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, said that the South China Sea is a treasure trove of wildlife, calling on government departments in Bejing and Hainan to establish a long-term relationship in the protection of wild animals, cultural relics and intangible cultural heritage.