China Warns Washington's Reentry to UNESCO Likely to Bring Strife
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China has expressed its disapproval of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) members' decision to permit the US to rejoin the group, cautioning that Washington's return is likely to create conflict instead of fostering peace and cooperation.
During Friday's vote, in which 132 nations participated, Beijing was among ten dissenting members while the majority welcomed the US back to UNESCO, effective immediately. "It's a great day for UNESCO and for multilateralism," stated Audrey Azoulay, the organization's director general. "Building upon the momentum achieved in recent years, our organization is once again moving towards universalism with this return of the United States," accodring to RT.
However, China's permanent representative to UNESCO, Yang Jin, conveyed to reporters after the vote that the objective of UNESCO member states is to promote peace and cooperation, rather than "resist the influence of a specific country." He emphasized that the US should "foster unity within the organization and contribute to cooperation, rather than creating confrontation and division."
Under former US president Donald Trump, the US withdrew from UNESCO at the end of 2018, citing "anti-Israel bias." Both the US and Israel halted their dues payments in 2011 when Palestine was granted membership. Additionally, the US had previously exited UNESCO in 1984 and remained absent until 2003 due to disagreements over the organization's policies.
The US will contribute 22% of UNESCO's budget and has committed to repaying estimated arrears of $619 million over time. This financial boost will assist the organization in implementing its programs, including initiatives for Africa and gender equality, as highlighted by UNESCO.
China had been the largest contributor to UNESCO during the US absence. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has portrayed the decision to rejoin the organization as a necessary step in Washington's competition with China for global influence. Deputy Secretary of State John Bass stated last month that the move "will help address a critical gap in our global leadership toolkit and capacity, and it will also help us address a key opportunity cost that our absence is creating in our global competition with China."
Chinese officials have pointed out that the US has twice withdrawn from UNESCO and called on Washington to pursue "genuine multilateralism" and international cooperation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated last month, "International organizations are not public parks. Countries can't just come and go as they please. More importantly, the US must not view international organizations as places for geopolitical wrestling."
