"And I want to tell you one thing. This painting is a donation we receive. Even if you want to pursue legal responsibility for the thief, we will definitely cooperate. As for the ownership of this painting, it is indisputable. It belongs to China and all Chinese people. It is the property left to all Chinese people by the ancestors of this country. It is definitely not the spoils of robbers." President Liu said strongly.

As soon as Dean Liu's words fell, warm applause burst out on the scene. This was the applause from those Chinese reporters, and they praised Dean Liu on the spot.

The press conference did not last long, and the Palace Museum did not have the interest to hold a debate with reporters. As for the controversy, this was something I had considered before, and it was no big deal. The Palace Museum would not care about the subsequent issues, it was the matter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This news was spread on the Internet at the speed of light. On that day, all Chinese people knew about this news. It was difficult not to know it, because major online media basically listed this news as headlines.

Netizens responded one after another, and the Internet was full of lively.

"I finally saw that the country was up, it's so satisfying."

"It's so satisfying. I'll give Dean Liu a thumbs up. Such an expert is really something I want."

"Looking at the old man, look at the words Mr. Liu said at the press conference, it is absolutely deafening. This is the property of all Chinese people, and it is definitely not the spoils of robbers. How much suffering our country has suffered before, and China still has millions of treasures exhibited in museums in other countries, and supports the country to take them back."

"I'm very curious. Are this donor the thief in the Paris theft case?"

"It must be. Otherwise, where did the painting come from?"

"It is possible to acquire it in the black market."

"You said, will the Palace Museum not be able to stop the pressure? Return the painting to France."

"The person upstairs is stupid. Since you dare to speak, you just don't plan to pay it back. Do you really think that the behavior of the Palace Museum's own family must be a national behavior. But this time, you have to say good to the Chinese government, so tough."

"Whoever has read the information about the Paris theft case? It's 662 antiques worth 180 million euros. That group of thieves will definitely send it."

"180 million. So much."

“…”

There are all applause on China's Internet, but foreign media have basically condemned China's behavior one-sidedly, saying that such behavior is a robbery and that China should return France's property. As for the statement of the President of the Palace Museum, it can only be said that historical issues are not convincing now.

The French government was not slow either. In the afternoon of the same day, the French government formally protested against China, demanding that China return the stolen items in France and have the responsibility to arrest suspects in the theft case. A French spokesperson also said that they suspected whether there were Chinese people involved in the Paris theft case.

Francois also received the news that his treasure had left France so quickly. He even ran to China. It seemed that his collection was difficult to recover. Facing the interview with reporters, he cursed the incompetence of the French police while condemning the Chinese government's behavior.

He used his relationship to find familiar parliamentarians and officials, and asked them to put pressure on the French government to recover the ancient Chinese painting. You should know that his two most precious collections, Cézanne's oil paintings, and Wu Daozi's ancient paintings. These two paintings alone account for more than half of the total value. If they can be recovered, they can at least recover tens of millions of euros.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also responded later, convened a press conference to explain the matter.

"China and France have always been very friendly countries. The two countries have established diplomatic relations for 53 years and have had many exchanges in the fields of culture, economy, science, etc., and the economy and trade have been increasing year by year."

"In recent times, many French parliamentarians have made unfriendly actions towards China, which neither of us wants to see. The Chinese government also regrets the French government's actions on certain matters. On some issues, we hope to advance with France and reach a consensus, rather than go further and further."

“…”

The spokesperson Gu Zuo said that he first said this. The meaning of the French people's recent practices is that China is not satisfied with us, so we have problems...

Speaking in circles is the effective method of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the reporters below are already impatient. They are here to listen to China's position and practices about France's protest against China, rather than listening to these old-fashioned and old-fashioned styles.

Finally, it was time for the reporter to ask, and a French reporter stood up impatiently and asked, "Since China values ​​Sino-French relations so much, why do you support criminal activities? The National Museum of China openly collects stolen goods from thieves. Is this what China does? We France strongly demand that the Chinese government return French property and apologize to France."

The spokesperson said: "The Chinese government acts in accordance with international law. This time the Palace Museum accepts donations and acts within the legal scope. As for whether the painting is stolen goods, we will conduct further investigations, but the Chinese government said that the Chinese government has always been ineffective in combating theft crime."

When the reporter below heard this, was it that the Chinese government was preparing to return the painting?

"China has a splendid civilization with a history of 5,000 years. During this period, it also suffered from war. China lost millions of antiques and cultural relics overseas. Except for some with legal sources, most of them were plundered. Here, the Chinese government hopes that those plundered items can be returned."

"The Louvre in France has tens of thousands of Chinese collections, and there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese antiques and cultural relics in France. History will not be destroyed in time. We reiterate that we hope that the French government can return the cultural relics that belong to China, because that is the property of all Chinese people."

The reporters were upset again, what is China going to do? How is it possible to return hundreds of thousands of antiques?

Is this China's answer? Isn't China afraid that its relations with France will drop to freezing point? Isn't China afraid that it will arouse condemnation and disgust from the international community?

Why is the Chinese government's answer so tough this time without choosing to compromise and tolerate? Is China ready to change its previous strategies in foreign relations?

This series of questions arose in the minds of journalists, and some people have a lot of ideas and even doubt whether China will take tough measures on other issues, such as military.

The press conference was over soon. Although the reporters did not get more information, it did not hinder their associations. A new round of reports was released.

"Whether the Chinese government's tough recovery means that China will change its previous foreign relations handling strategies."

"The Chinese people ignored international law and forced their collection of property of citizens of other countries, and China-France relations have regressed again."

"Will the French aircraft carrier participate in this Asian military exercise be one of the reasons why China is tough this time?"

The outside world yelled, and China remained unmoved.

Domestic people expressed joy and encouragement about China's style of conduct this time.

In fact, an antique is not a big deal. Even if it is worth tens of millions of euros, it is just an ordinary thing for leaders of various countries. What they care more about is China's attitude. (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!