China says US withdrawal from UNESCO not behaviour of 'responsible country'

 UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay delivers a speech to announce the United States' request to return to the institution, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on June 12, 2023. [File, AFP]

China has expressed regret over 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.