China says US withdrawal from Unesco not the behaviour of a ‘responsible country'
China said it has always firmly supported the work of Unesco.
BEIJING - China said it regretted on July 23 the United States' decision to withdraw from the UN cultural and education agency Unesco.
'This is not the action that a responsible major country should take,' foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
'China has always firmly supported the work of Unesco,' he added.
The United States said on July 22
it would quit Unesco , best known for establishing world heritage sites, claiming it was biased against Israel and promoted 'divisive' causes.
US President Donald Trump also ordered the country's withdrawal from Unesco in 2017 during his first term.
President Joe Biden later re-established membership.
This latest withdrawal will take effect in December 2026.
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Since taking office, Mr Trump has indicated he would pull the United States out of several multilateral institutions –
including the World Health Organisation and the Paris climate agreement – and has launched punishing trade tariffs against allies and foes alike.
China, meanwhile, has sought to promote itself as a responsible major power by expressing support for the United Nations and other international bodies.
'This is already the third time that the US has withdrawn from Unesco, and it has long been in arrears with its membership fees,' Mr Guo told reporters on July 23.
'We call on all countries to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism and take concrete actions to support the international system with the UN at its core,' he said. AFP
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For the city's 8.5 million people who own nearly 7 million motorbikes, most of them powered by fossil fuel, the phasing out of these vehicles comes at great cost for the average person. 'Our livelihoods are going to be affected badly,' said Mr Cong. It would be an understatement to say Hanoi residents rely heavily on petrol bikes – they use the motorbikes to take their children to school, deliver goods to the market, and may transport a family of four and even five on one bike to their hometowns in other provinces during the Lunar New Year holiday. 'This ban is a tax on the poor,' said motorbike ride Le Van Thinh, 58, an army veteran and part-time deliveryman, pointing out that for millions of low-income people in Hanoi, motorbikes are their livelihoods. The decision to ban petrol bikes has quickly become one of the hottest, and most divisive, topics of discussion among Hanoi residents. Currently, about half a million petrol-powered bikes operate within Hanoi's inner city every day. 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PHOTO: NGA PHAM Currently, the public bus system currently meets only 18 per cent of the total transportation demand. 'I think banning or restricting personal vehicles should be implemented gradually alongside an efficient public transportation system,' said Dr Ca, adding that the authorities should also enforce strict emission testing for fossil-fuelled vehicles. According to a recent survey of more than 13,000 people by VnExpress news outlet, 58 per cent of respondents felt that banning petrol bikes by mid-2026 was 'unfeasible', and only 18 per cent were confident of the city meeting the deadline. 'They will not able to do that, not next year, not in the next five years,' exclaimed Mr Thinh, the army veteran. 'Where are they going to dump the millions of petrol bikes we have?' While going electric seems to be the obvious solution for some, for others it's not within their budget. The average monthly earnings in Hanoi is around 10 million Vietnamese dong . 'I don't make much money and I have a million things to pay for,' Mr Cong told ST, 'How can I afford to buy a new electric motorbike that costs at least 30 million dong ?' His second-hand petrol bike cost around 8 million dong two years ago. Right now, such motorcycles cost around 10 million to 12 million dong. The Hanoi authorities have proposed a scheme to subsidise some of the costs involved in converting from petrol-powered motorbikes to electric motorbikes. Mr Duong Duc Tuan, the vice-chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said the city will cover nearly all associated administrative costs for vehicle conversion, including registration fees and licence plate issuance for new electric motorbikes, amounting to at least 3 million dong . Charging of these vehicles also poses a major challenge for the authorities. Hanoi still lacks sufficient facilities for the millions of electric motorbikes it plans to put on the roads in the near future. 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