Beijing says membership is a serious commitment and ‘not like going to a park’.
The United States should not use international organisations as geopolitical playgrounds, Beijing said on Tuesday as it chided Washington over its plans to rejoin the United Nations’ top heritage body . Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay confirmed on Monday that the US would rejoin the UN body next month and honour the more than US$600 million in financial contributions it owed. US officials had previously said that the decision to leave Unesco six years ago left a gap for China to expand its influence. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the US should be responsible and use its membership to support multilateralism and promote international cooperation. “The membership of international organisations is a serious matter … it is not like going to a park, where you can enter at ease and leave as you please,” Wang said.
