马语琴2025年7月24日北京的天坛已列入联合国教科文组织的《世界遗产名录》。多年来，中国一直试图影响这个联合国文化机构。 Jessica Lee/EPA, via ShutterstockAny traveler who has picked up an international guidebook knows the UNESCO designation as shorthand for a must-see cultural destination that’s worthy of a detour.但凡读过国际旅行指南的游客都知道，被联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)列入《世界遗产名录》的地方是必看的文化旅游目的地，值得绕道前往参观。But the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has also become the target of an intense Chinese influence campaign in recent years as Beijing has sought to increase its reach over educational curriculums, historical designations and even artificial intelligence.但近年来，随着中国政府寻求扩大在教育课程内容、历史文化遗产，甚至人工智能领域的影响力，UNESCO也成了其影响力运动的热切目标。President Trump’s decision Tuesday to withdraw the United States from the group removes a powerful check on China’s effort, in the latest example of how the White House retreat from international institutions offers an opening for China to advance its soft power.特朗普总统周二让美国退出该组织的决定，消除了对中国影响力运动的一个有力制约，这是美国从国际机构退出从而为中国创造软实力提升契机的最新例证。The United States was once the largest UNESCO backer, accounting for nearly 25 cents of every dollar. But Washington has had an on-again-off-again relationship with it for years, especially since Mr. Trump first took office in 2017, and China has stepped up to take its place. A Chinese official is now UNESCO’s deputy director general, a post that diplomats said is often awarded in exchange for political or monetary favors.美国曾是UNESCO最大的支持者，为该组织提供了25%的资金。但多年来，华盛顿与该机构关系时好时坏，尤其是特朗普2017年第一次担任总统之后。中国则已开始取代美国的地位。UNESCO的副总干事目前由一名中国官员担任。外交人士透露，该职位通常是用政治或资金恩惠换来的。UNESCO has lent support to major priorities for China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, including the global infrastructure program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing has also lobbied heavily for World Heritage designations and is jockeying to surpass Italy as the country with the most culturally significant sites. Some of those sites are in oppressed regions like Tibet and Xinjiang, where many local residents view them as an attempt to appropriate and control their culture and history.UNESCO对中国最高领导人习近平的一些重大优先事项一直持支持态度，其中包括名为“一带一路”的全球基础设施项目。北京还大力游说，争取把更多地方列入《世界遗产名录》，力图超过意大利，成为拥有最多文化遗产的国家。中国的一些文化遗产位于西藏和新疆等受压迫的少数民族地区，许多当地居民将入遗视为政府挪用和控制少数民族文化和历史的企图。And while UNESCO wields tremendous clout over what counts as history, it is also the U.N. agency in charge of setting artificial intelligence guidelines. UNESCO has an agreement with iFlytek, a major Chinese A.I. company, to cooperate on higher education in Asia and Africa, according to Chinese state media. (UNESCO said it has partnerships with many artificial intelligence companies worldwide.)UNESCO不仅在“何为历史”方面拥有巨大影响力，同时，该机构也是负责制定人工智能指导方针的联合国机构。据中国官媒报道，UNESCO已与中国的一家人工智能巨头科大讯飞达成了在亚洲和非洲开展高等教育合作的协议。（UNESCO称其与全球各地的许多人工智能企业均有合作。）负责制定人工智能指导方针的联合国教科文组织已与中国的科技公司科大讯飞达成了合作协议。“UNESCO is a battleground for cultural and intellectual power and influence,” said David Killion, who was an ambassador to UNESCO under President Barack Obama. “We are conceding the soft power realm to an expansionist, authoritarian great power.”“UNESCO是文化和智识力量与影响力交锋的一个战场，”戴维·基利昂说，他曾在奥巴马政府任美国常驻UNESCO代表。“我们正在把软实力领域拱手让给一个扩张主义的威权大国。”The Chinese Embassy in Washington, in a response to a request for comment on its influence in UNESCO, said that international organizations are “not arenas for geopolitical games.” 针对中国在UNESCO影响力的置评请求，中国驻华盛顿大使馆回应称，国际组织“不是地缘政治博弈的竞技场”。“China never intends to challenge or replace the U.S.,” the Embassy said. “We hope that all parties could see China’s positive role in UNESCO objectively.”“中国从未试图挑战或取代美国的地位。我们希望各方能够客观地看待中国在联合国教科文组织的积极作用，”大使馆说。UNESCO said that, while China will soon be the biggest funder, it is underrepresented on the agency’s staff. “We are not in a position to comment on the diplomatic strategy of one member state or another,” an agency spokeswoman said in a statement.UNESCO表示，虽然中国很快将成为该机构的最大资助国，但中国人士在该机构工作人员中为数不多。“我们恐怕无法对这个或那个成员国的外交战略发表评论，”UNESCO发言人在声明中说。The State Department did not respond to a request for comment but issued a statement saying that UNESCO advanced “a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.”虽然美国国务院没有回复置评请求，但透过声明表示，UNESCO推进“一种全球主义的、意识形态的国际发展议程，与我们‘美国优先’的外交政策相悖”。The pullback reflects a broader American retreat from international bodies and Mr. Trump’s dim view of soft power, the longstanding idea that America’s cultural and economic influence abroad strengthens its hand in foreign affairs.退出UNSECO反映了美国从国际机构更广泛的撤退趋势，以及特朗普对软实力的轻视。软实力指的是一个长期奉行的理念，即美国在海外的文化和经济影响力能增强美国在外交事务上的地位。Mr. Trump has announced America’s departure from the World Health Organization and gutted the United States Agency for International Development. A White House review of U.N. agencies is due in early August, and experts expect the White House to defund others.特朗普已宣布美国退出世界卫生组织，关闭了美国国际开发署。白宫将在8月初发布对联合国各机构的审查报告，专家们预计美国将停止对其他机构的资助。“The United States is no longer reliable,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “China’s status and influence in the United Nations will definitely increase accordingly. This is certain.”“美国不再靠得住，”上海复旦大学国际问题研究院院长吴心伯说。“中国在联合国的地位和影响力肯定会随之上升。这一点是肯定的。”UNESCO was the first U.N. agency that Mr. Xi visited after becoming China’s leader in 2012. The United States had withdrawn funding under 1990s legislation requiring a cutoff of American financing to U.N. agencies that accepted Palestine as a full member.UNESCO是习近平2012年担任中国国家主席后访问的第一个联合国机构。美国已根据20世纪90年代的一项立法停止了对UNESCO的资助，该立法要求美国停止向接受巴勒斯坦为正式成员的联合国机构提供资金。That provided an opening for China.这就为中国提供了机会。Beijing got Mr. Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, appointed as a special envoy, and sent money to Paris that it earmarked for its foreign policy goals.中国政府得以让习近平夫人彭丽媛被任命为该组织特使，并为这个总部设在巴黎的机构提供了指定用于中国外交政策目标的专项资金。Tang Qian, a former UNESCO assistant director general from China, recalled in his 2020 memoir that his government viewed financing the agency as a way to expand Chinese influence, particularly in Africa.曾任UNESCO助理总干事的中国官员唐虔在其2020年的回忆录中写道，中国政府将资助该机构视为扩大中国影响力的一种方式，尤其是在非洲。Washington was not on the sidelines during this period, despite the funding cuts. The Obama administration kept its diplomats, like Mr. Killion, in Paris to work on issues like Holocaust education and countering Brazil and China on internet regulation.虽然不再资助UNSECO，但美国政府并没在那之后置身局外。奥巴马政府仍让基利昂等外交官留在巴黎，在UNESCO负责关于纳粹大屠杀方面教育的工作，以及在互联网监管上对抗巴西和中国。“UNESCO是文化和智识力量与影响力交锋的一个战场，”曾任美国常驻联合国教科文组织代表的戴维·基利昂（上中）说。But in 2017, the Trump administration announced it would withdraw from the organization completely, citing anti-Israel bias. After President Joseph R. Biden took office in 2021, Mr. Killion and others campaigned to get the United States to return.但2017年，特朗普政府曾宣布将彻底退出UNESCO，理由是该组织有反以色列的偏见。拜登2021年就任总统后，基利昂等人曾积极推动美国重返该组织。“The void left by the U.S. is being filled by other major powers, like China, who understand the immense soft power opportunity that exists at UNESCO,” read a document that they circulated within the Biden administration.“美国留下的空白正在被其他大国填补，比如中国，这些国家懂得联合国教科文组织蕴藏的巨大软实力机会，”基利昂等人在一份供拜登政府内部传阅的文件中写道。Congress authorized a funding waiver and the United States rejoined UNESCO. The waiver explicitly mentioned concerns about Chinese influence.国会批准了一项资金豁免，美国重新加入了UNESCO。该豁免明确提出对中国影响力的担忧。The new ambassador set about trying to restore American influence, securing partnerships for tech companies like Microsoft and Netflix and leading a group, with the Ghanaian ambassador, that worked on artificial intelligence and digital learning in Africa, where Chinese companies had been making inroads.美国新任常驻联合国教科文组织代表开始着手试图恢复美国的影响力，为微软和网飞等科技公司争取到了与UNESCO合作的伙伴关系，并与加纳常驻联合国教科文组织代表一起领导了一个小组，在非洲开展人工智能和数字学习方面的工作，而中国企业早已在当地取得了进展。Mr. Trump is hardly eager to empower China. He has launched a trade war and imposed export restrictions on American technology. But Mr. Trump favors economic and military might over foreign aid and cultural programs.特朗普无意助力中国扩大影响力。他已对中国发动贸易战，限制向中国出口美国技术。但特朗普更看重经济和军事实力，而不是对外援助和文化项目。China views soft power as essential to expanding its global influence and UNESCO as key to establishing its culture and history as prominent on the world stage. China leads the world in the number of “intangible cultural heritages” — humanity’s most worthy creations, like the Spanish flamenco dancing, the Thai prawn soup known as tomyum kung and Jamaican reggae.中国把软实力视为扩大全球影响力的关键所在，并把UNESCO视为在世界舞台上确立本国文化和历史地位的核心平台。列入“人类非物质文化遗产”的中国项目世界领先，这些是人类最当之无愧的创造，如西班牙的弗拉门戈舞、泰国的冬阴功虾汤，以及牙买加的雷鬼音乐。联合国教科文组织的巴黎总部。World Heritage sites attract so many tourists that a UNESCO designation can transform economies. Sites in Western countries have historically dominated this list, and Asian countries have lobbied heavily in recent years to have their history acknowledged, too. But persecuted ethnic minorities say that in the hands of Beijing, the sites become tools of appropriation and are not protected.世界遗址吸引着如此之多的游客，以至于列入UNESCO世界遗产名录能改变当地的经济。历史上，西方国家的遗产地曾在世界遗产名录中占主导地位，近年来，亚洲国家也大力游说，希望为自己的历史文化争取到认可。但遭受迫害的少数民族指出，在北京当局的掌控下，这些遗址变成了文化挪用的工具，而不是得到保护。At a palace in Lhasa that was for centuries the home of Tibetan Dalai Lamas, the Chinese government erected two pavilions in 2020. The pavilions, built in a distinctly Chinese style, surround sacred stone columns that commemorate Tibetan history. UNESCO regulations require that countries alert the organization before making major changes to sites. The Chinese government did not do that.2020年，中国政府在拉萨的布达拉宫历史建筑群内建了两座带有明显中式风格的亭子，该建筑群里的宫殿曾是藏人的精神领袖达赖喇嘛几百年来居住的地方。亭子环绕着在西藏历史上具有重要意义的石柱而建。根据UNESCO的规定，各国在对遗址进行重大改变之前必须通知该组织。中国政府并没有履行这一义务。Advocacy groups called on UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to designate the palace as a site in danger at its meeting earlier this month. It did not.在UNESCO世界遗产委员会本月初的会议上，倡导团体曾呼吁将布达拉宫历史建筑群列为濒危遗产，但委员会未予采纳。Chinese officials have described the country’s efforts to get its historical and cultural sites designated by UNESCO as a key part of Mr. Xi’s Global Civilization Initiative. That initiative holds that each region has its own values and should not face pressure from countries with different values. Critics have described this as an attempt to undermine human rights and democracy.中国官员表示，推动本国的历史文化遗址获得UNESCO的认定是习近平“全球文明倡议”的重要组成部分。这一倡议主张，每个地区都有其独特的价值观，不应受到其他价值观不同国家的压力。批评人士认为，这其实是削弱人权与民主的一种手段。U.S. defunding of UNESCO will mean less oversight of the heritage process, said Stephan Dömpke, chair of the Berlin-based nonprofit group World Heritage Watch. “Even now,” he said, “UNESCO cannot monitor about one third of the sites on the World Heritage List. The withdrawal of the United States will only accelerate this process.”总部位于柏林的非营利组织“世界遗产观察”的主席斯蒂芬·东普克表示，美国从UNESCO退出意味着减少对世界遗产的监督。他说：“即使在现在，UNESCO也无法对约三分之一的世界遗产名录进行有效监测。美国的退出只会加速这种局面。”The American ambassador to UNESCO stepped down in January as Mr. Trump took office. Shortly afterward, a Uyghur linguist, Abduweli Ayup, discovered the risk of offending China at UNESCO.特朗普就任总统后，美国美国常驻联合国教科文组织代表已在今年1月辞职。那之后不久，维吾尔语言学家阿卜都韦力·阿尤普（音）发现了在UNESCO冒犯中国的危险。维吾尔语言学家阿卜都韦力·阿尤普（音）在联合国教科文组织的一个会议上发言的邀请被取消。The Uyghurs are a persecuted ethnic group in northwestern China who have been interned in camps, forced into labor, and barred from using their native language in schools. The Chinese government works aggressively to censor and beat back discussion of this repression.维吾尔族是中国西北地区的一个少数民族，他们一直受中国政府的迫害，许多人被关进拘禁营，强迫劳动，并被禁止在学校使用母语。中国政府大力审查和压制相关迫害的讨论。In February, Mr. Ayup traveled to Paris with his family, expecting to make a presentation at a UNESCO conference on Indigenous languages. He had been invited to speak about how smartphones have contributed to a decline in Uyghurs using their native language.今年2月，阿尤普和家人来到巴黎，准备在UNESCO关于原住民语言的会议上发言。会议曾邀请他介绍智能手机如何加剧维族人使用母语的能力衰退问题。On the first day of the conference, Mr. Ayup asked a Chinese state media anchor a question that was critical of Beijing. The next day, a few hours before he was scheduled to present, organizers abruptly rescinded the invitation.在会议的第一天，阿尤普问了一名中国官媒主播一个批评中国政府的问题。第二天，在他原定发言时间的几小时前，会议组织方突然取消了邀请。Mr. Ayup’s question was the reason, according to three members of the conference’s academic committee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The Chinese language learning company Talkmate was a major sponsor, and staff members feared offending the executives, one of the committee members said.据该会议学术委员会的三名成员表示，阿尤普提的提问是取消邀请的原因。由于担心遭到报复，这三名成员均要求不具名。其中一位委员表示，中文学习公司——全球说是会议的主要赞助商，工作人员担心冒犯公司高管。UNESCO, in its statement, said its management was not involved in canceling Mr. Ayup’s presentation and the agency had not received a request from China about it.UNESCO在声明中说，其管理层没有参与取消阿尤普发言的决定，UNESCO也没有在这件事上收到来自中国的要求。Before he left the conference, Mr. Ayup angrily scrawled on a sheet of paper and taped it to the wall of the conference venue. “UNESCO,” the sign read. “My presentation cancelled. Why? Why?”阿尤普在一张纸上愤怒地写道：“UNESCO，我的发言被取消。为什么？为什么？”他把这张纸贴在会场后离开了会议。Susan C. Beachy对本文有研究贡献。马语琴(Mara Hvistendahl)是《纽约时报》国际版面调查记者。可以通过电子邮件与她联系：mara.hvistendahl@nytimes.com翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。