Following the United States’ announcement of its withdrawal from UNESCO, China has criticised the Trump administration’s decision, calling it “irresponsible.”

During a press briefing on Wednesday, July 23, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing “regretted” Washington’s announcement to leave the UN cultural and education agency.

“This is not the action that a responsible major country should take,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters, adding that China has always “firmly supported the work of UNESCO.”

On Tuesday, July 22, the US State Department announced the federal government’s decision to withdraw from UNESCO, stating that the country’s involvement with the agency was no longer in its national interest. The statement noted that UNESCO’s policies and alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals were “at odds with our America first foreign policy.”

The State Department also criticised UNESCO’s decision to admit Palestine as a member state, calling it “problematic” and contradictory to US foreign policy.

“Pursuant to Article II(6) of the UNESCO Constitution, U.S. withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026. The United States will remain a full member of UNESCO until that time,” the statement said.

The US withdrawal from UNESCO follows President Donald Trump’s earlier announcement that the country would also leave the World Health Organization, a decision among the first executive orders of his second term.

In response, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said the agency “deeply regret[s] President Donald Trump’s decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from UNESCO.” She noted that while the decision contradicts the principle of multilateralism, UNESCO had anticipated the exit and was prepared for it.

“Thanks to the efforts made by the Organization since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8% of the Organization’s total budget compared to 40% for some United Nations entities; while at the same time, UNESCO’s overall budget has steadily increased. Today, the Organization is better protected in financial terms, with the steady support of a large number of Member States and private contributors. These voluntary contributions have doubled since 2018,” the organisation added.