China will step up the hunt action against theft and trade in cultural relics in 2018, said an official on Friday.

In 2017, China caught 15 fugitives in major cases and five known suspects are still at large, said Liu Yuzhu, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage at a national conference.

More than 100 gangs have been exposed and nearly 1,000 arrests were made last year, Liu said.

An online list of more than 200 stolen and lost antiques was set up in 2017.