Looted Chinese antiques pulled from Bonhams auction

In Britain, two Chinese antiques have been withdrawn from a Bonhams auction after the proposed sale sparked fury in China. The antiques were looted from Beijing in the 19th century.

Bonhams has issued an apology as it confirmed the two jade carvings would not be sold. The auction was planned for Thursday.

The planned sale had sparked a furious reaction from China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, saying that cultural relics should be returned to their country of origin.

Bonhams says they pulled the auction to avoid any possible offences.

The Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, was pillaged by British and French military forces in 1860. Millions of relics were looted. Sales of antiques looted from the palace are widely resented in China.

The two antiques: the Qing dynasty jade disc and jade hanging vase, have a combined estimated value between 100,000 and 180,000 British pounds according to the auctioneer.