- The US announced it was to rejoin UNESCO amid worries China was becoming too influential.
- The Biden administration has requested $150 million to start paying back UNESCO dues of $617 million.
Motivated by concerns about Chinese influence, the US on Monday said it would rejoin UNESCO. That move probably comes with a bill: $600 million in back payments.
The US left UNESCO — the UN cultural, educational and scientific body — in 2017 on the instruction of President Donald Trump, whose administration accused it of anti-Israel bias.
But since then, officials have expressed concern that the US vacating its spot leaves a power vacuum that is being filled by China.
In March, discussing plans to return during a State Department press briefing, senior official John Bass described "a key opportunity cost that our absence is creating in our global competition with China."
"So if we're really serious about the digital-age competition with China ... we can't afford to be absent any longer."
UNESCO's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, visited Xi Jinping soon after she took up the post in 2018, becoming the first person in that role to meet a Chinese leader.
Before Azoulay took up her role, Xi was keenly interested in a Chinese person filling the position, amid a wider push towards a strong presence at multiple international organizations, as Foreign Policy reported at the time. As it turned out, Azoulay made a Chinese diplomat her deputy.
The move reflects President Joe Biden's characteristic willingness to re-join international pacts vacated by Trump, such as the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords.
In March, the Biden administration requested $150 million to cover UNESCO fees and arrears for 2024. Per the Associated Press, further requests to cover the total arrears of $619 million are expected in future years.
It constitutes a significant chunk of UNESCO's funding, which took a 22% hit when the US withdrew, according to the AP.
Azoulay welcomed the US rejoining the organization in a statement on Monday, calling it "a strong act of confidence, in UNESCO and in multilateralism."