I'm in agreement with Rimwolf; the artifact in question is not the point of the story, it's just a Macguffin. Getting upset at the author, especially this author considering his stated, prescient, and evolving opinion on the subject of race, for the historical background of the MacGuffin is a bit absurd.
Also in real history is the fact that a good chunk of Ming pottery was even at the time of their creation exported to Europe, and most that were obtained afterward were sold, not looted. There was a fair bit of looting, and a good bit of that went the the British
trophy room museum, but it pales in comparison to the scale of ordinary commerce.
On the general issue of repatriation of artifacts, it's all about circumstance. Ones stolen or dug up with no or BS local government permission should be returned with free shipping, but ones that were just plain bought like any other item should be compensated or allowed to be kept.
On the general topic of China, I find outrage on behalf of historical artifacts taken from there to be laughable considering
their perspective throughout history on the trappings of the past. From 1000 BCE and probably earlier, it was standard practice as part of the cycle of empires to get rid of the stuff from the previous one, and that carried through straight to the Cultural Revolution. The greatest damage to a society's past is usually self inflicted.
And still want Paul Verhoven publicly flogged.
But he didn't make a Starship Troopers movie. He made a completely different movie form the book, which was then named Starship Troopers after most of the writing and preproduction was finished. I can forgive him due to that, and the shower scene, which as an 8 year old boy I immensely appreciated.
The people making World War Z and Enders Game have no excuses, though, so we'll see how that goes.