China fills UNESCO power vacuum as US withdraws funding again

US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from UNESCO removes a key counterbalance to China’s growing sway, as the US was once the agency’s largest funder, contributing nearly 25 per cent of its budget.

China has aggressively pursued UNESCO World Heritage designations, aiming to surpass Italy for the most culturally significant sites.

“China views soft power as essential to expanding its global influence and UNESCO as key to establishing its culture and history as prominent on the world stage,” states a document circulated within the Biden administration urging him to rejoin the organisation after Trump withdrew in his first term.

Some of these sites are in oppressed regions like Tibet and Xinjiang, where local residents see the designations as Beijing’s attempt to control their culture.

UNESCO’s influence extends beyond history to setting global guidelines for artificial intelligence. The agency has an agreement with iFlytek, a major Chinese AI company, to collaborate on higher education in Asia and Africa, per Chinese state media. A Chinese official now serves as UNESCO’s deputy director general.

The US has had a rocky relationship with UNESCO, pulling funding in the 1990s after Palestine was accepted as a full member and withdrawing entirely in 2018 over claims of anti-Israel bias.

The Biden administration rejoined UNESCO, citing concerns about Chinese influence, and worked to restore American presence through partnerships with tech companies like Microsoft and Netflix.

However, with the US now exiting again, China’s influence is likely to grow further.