How US exit from UNESCO helps China

Hi, readers:

"A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind," the old Chinese proverb goes — a sentiment that aptly captures Beijing’s posture in the Middle East and its response to recent crises involving the Trump administration.

The latest came this week, as the Trump team announced a full US exit from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by Dec. 31, 2026. The withdrawal leaves a vacuum in an agency long shaped by American leadership — one that China is increasingly eager to fill. In the Middle East and beyond, Beijing has used UNESCO as a platform to deepen regional ties, expand its influence within the UN and project soft power.

Let's unpack! 

Joyce & Rosaleen  (sign up on LinkedIn or online here)

Leading this week

The US announced on Tuesday that it will withdraw from UNESCO by Dec. 31, 2026, as reported by Al-Monitor’s Elizabeth Hagedorn.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the organization has a “globalist, ideological agenda” that runs counter to the administration’s “America First” foreign policy. She also cited UNESCO’s 2011 vote to admit Palestine as a member state, calling the move “highly problematic.”

In a statement on the US withdrawal, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the US "has long been in arrears," adding that "this is not what a major country should do." The ministry emphasized its support for UNESCO's work and urged "all countries to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism."

➡️ The withdrawal fits a pattern: President Donald Trump first exited the agency in 2017. President Joe Biden rejoined in 2023, citing concerns that China was stepping into the gap left by the US. Now, Trump plans to pull the US out again.

➡️ The US also froze funding to UNESCO in 2011 under President Barack Obama after Palestine was admitted as a member.

Enter China

Over the past decade, Beijing has sought to reshape the international system from within and broaden its reach inside the United Nations.

➡️ China has increased its financial contributions to UN bodies. After the US withdrawal in 2017, Beijing reportedly boosted its funding to UNESCO to $65 million, becoming the agency’s largest contributor.

➡️ Chinese nationals have assumed prominent leadership roles. In March 2018, UNESCO appointed Xing Qu, a Chinese diplomat, as its deputy director-general.

➡️ China has used its Belt and Road Initiative — both through and beyond the UN — to build influence in developing nations, many of which now rely on Chinese funding in education, culture and infrastructure. A few examples:

• In 2018, China’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO co-organized an event titled “Maritime Silk Roads: Connections between China and the Middle East,” a roundtable in Paris with UNESCO and the organization’s Arab Group.
• In Egypt, a July 2024 UNESCO-backed exchange brought together Chinese and Egyptian scholars, local officials, universities and UNESCO representatives to explore cultural cooperation.
• In early 2025, China’s Dunhuang Academy partnered with Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for Al Ula to preserve archaeological sites and build exhibitions under UNESCO auspices.

💡 A word from the expert

Richard Gowan, director of the International Crisis Group’s UN and Multilateral Diplomacy work, argues that Trump’s pullout will ultimately weaken US influence.

While UNESCO doesn’t wield hard power, China “recognizes that it is a good platform for promoting their narratives globally. It uses UNESCO as a platform to promote its work on AI and sciences globally, while also getting the organization to endorse versions of Chinese history that minimize the role of minorities such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans,” Gowan says.

China leverages UNESCO not just to promote its image in science and culture, but also to legitimize political control over ethnically diverse regions like Xinjiang and Tibet. According to The Economist (September 2023), while China pursues World Heritage status for sites like Jingmai Mountain to boost tourism and tea sales, it also rewrites historical narratives in its submissions to align with the Chinese Communist Party’s vision of a unified, Han-centric national identity.

This aerial photo taken on Jan. 12, 2023, shows the fog-covered Jingmai Mountain, in Pu'er City, in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Photo by NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images

For instance, when nominating the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China emphasized Han military and cultural presence, largely omitting the Uyghur population despite their deep historical ties to the region. In Tibet, UNESCO-accepted documents highlighting imperial Chinese "tolerance" while downplaying the 1959 uprising and the erosion of Tibetan autonomy.

UNESCO also contributed to the China–SCO AI Forum 2025, praising “inclusive and ethical artificial intelligence” — reinforcing China's cooperation narrative in science and innovation.

Beyond UNESCO, Trump has extended his retreat from international institutions in 2025 by pulling the US out of the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization. He has also reinstated the UNRWA funding ban and pledged to again withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

“There is a bipartisan feeling in Washington that China is getting too much influence across the UN system. The Biden team pointed to UNESCO as a clear example of that,” Gowan said.

Withdrawing from UNESCO, he argues, “will be a blow to those who hoped that the threat of Chinese influence would be enough to keep Trump engaged with the UN.”

Our take: China stays in the room when Washington walks out. In trade, norm-setting, diplomacy and more, US absences give Beijing more space to maneuver — particularly in the Global South. China doesn’t need to win every vote or lead every institution. It just needs to be present, patient and willing to fund alternatives.

The practical impact on UNESCO may be limited. The organization has already diversified its funding sources. US contributions now account for just 8% of its budget — down from the 22% Washington once provided.

Photo of the week

This photograph taken on July 23, 2025, shows a US flag flying in front of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris. (HUGO MATHY/AFP via Getty Images)

Deals and visits ✈️

• Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah awards Chinese firm $1.53 billion contract
• China, Iran, Russia meet ahead of Iran-E3 nuclear talks
• Algeria awards Chinese oil and gas contractor $855 million development contract
• Saudi, Chinese companies partner for construction of terminals at Saudi airport
• Chinese premier visits Cairo, meets Egyptian PM
• Iran awards major railway electricity contract to Chinese company
• Algeria’s Sonatrach signs preliminary agreement with China’s Sinopec for potential hydrocarbon contracts
• Chinese envoy to UN condemns Israeli military strikes on Syria
• Qatar and China sign MoU to boost cooperation in air traffic
• China hosts Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting, including Iranian and Russian FMs
• Egypt, Chinese central bank sign agreement to strengthen financial ties
• China, Algeria sign cooperation agreement for digital tourism promotion  

What we are reading​​​

• China’s problem with competition: There’s too much of it: The New York Times
• State Department cuts China policy staff amid major overhaul: The Washington Post
• Iran, China, Russia, and the collapse of deterrence in the Red Sea: The Atlantic Council