The U.S. should demonstrate its sincerity to abide by international rules and respect the international rule of law, and only by doing so will it win the trust of the international community, and gain the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) members before it returns to UNESCO, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's saying that the U.S. should return to UNESCO.

According to reports, Blinken said on Wednesday that China is the single largest contributor to UNESCO while the U.S. is not even "at the table," making it ever more important to "change the situation."

Mao told the press that the U.S. has withdrawn from UNESCO twice, which has had a negative impact on UNESCO's work.

"If the U.S. wants to return to UNESCO, we hope that the intention of the U.S. is to shoulder international responsibilities, fulfill international obligations, support multilateralism, and promote international cooperation," said the spokesperson.

She added that the U.S. should review its wrongdoing of withdrawing from international treaties and organizations and pursuing "America first," and demonstrate its goodwill and sincerity.

"International organizations are platforms for international cooperation, not battlefields for geopolitical confrontations," said Mao, adding that China welcomes the U.S. if it objectively evaluates China's positive role in UNESCO.

"However, if the intention of the U.S. returning to UNESCO is to balance and limit China's influence, it will only raise suspicions that the U.S. is still putting 'America first' ahead of international public interest," said Mao.

(Cover: The UNESCO logo. /CFP)