Chinese Harvard graduate’s speech sparks conservative controversy

A Chinese Harvard graduate’s commencement speech calling for “shared humanity” has ignited debate online as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to restrict Chinese student visas.

Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, 25, became the first Chinese woman student to speak at a Harvard graduation ceremony on May 29, delivering her nearly seven-minute address titled “Our Humanity.” Originally from Qingdao, China, she earned a full scholarship to study at Cardiff Sixth Form College in Wales before attending Duke University and completing her Master’s in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School.

Jiang emphasized global unity in her speech, telling fellow graduates, “If we still believe in a shared future, let us not forget: those we label as enemies — they, too, are human. In seeing their humanity, we find our own.”

She drew from her experiences with classmates from 34 nations, describing how the countries she “knew only as colorful shapes on a map turned into real people — with laughter, dreams and the perseverance to survive the long winter in Cambridge.”

Jiang’s speech largely drew criticism on X, with conservative users accusing her of having Communist Party connections. One popular account followed by Elon Musk and some of President Donald Trump’s children alleged that she represented “a CCP-funded and monitored NGO” and was “parroting Xi Jinping’s diplomatic rhetoric about a ‘shared future for mankind.’”

Chinese netizens appeared more divided. Some praised Jiang’s message, with one RedNote user writing that her ability to “stand on an international stage and speak the heart of Chinese students has moved me to tears.” Others questioned whether her elite background represented typical Chinese students.

Jiang’s address came at a critical moment as the Trump administration had just revoked Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification — blocking the university from enrolling international students — and announced plans to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” With roughly 30% of Harvard’s students being international and about 2,000 coming from China, the policy affects over 277,000 Chinese students nationwide.

International students contributed over $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, with Chinese students making up 16% of all graduate STEM students nationwide.