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Cai Mingchao, advisor to China’s National Treasures Fund, has declared himself the secret bidder for two Chinese statues sold for $19 million each last week by Christie’s in Paris. The statues were part of an auction of artwork owned by the late Yves St Laurent, fasion designer, and his partner Pierre Bergé. The buyer says he has no intention of paying, nor does he have the money: his bid was a patriotic act because he believes the art, stolen from China’s Imperial Palace in 1860 by British and French soldiers, should not be sold. The auction house told the New York Times that in such a situation the second highest bid does not necessarily get the item, but it would not speculate on what will happen. BBC, New York Times, Xinhua