Three historical artifacts thought to have been illegally exported from China have been returned to Beijing by Australia.

A dinosaur fossil dating back more than 100 million years and two Tang Dynasty figurines were presented to Chinese officials in Canberra.

At the Australian border, police seized the items and referred them to authorities for investigation.

A handover will be held shortly before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Beijing next month.

As Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said on Wednesday, “we’ve seen how two nations can work effectively together to return cultural property to its rightful home.” No matter if the items are culturally significant or if they belong to us overseas, they should be returned.

The items are as follows:

• A fossil of a hyphalosaurus, a long-necked reptile species that lived in north-eastern China between 120 and 133 million years ago

• A Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 CE) figurine depicting a rider on horseback playing a wind instrument. These figures were placed in tombs to ensure a safe journey to the afterlife

• A Tang Dynasty gilt bronze figurine of the Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara, which was likely an altar piece

A private collector and the National Gallery of Australia also presented two other items dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties to China.

The Chinese ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, expressed his “sincere gratitude” to the Australians during the ceremony.