Editor's note: This is a speech given by Jiang Heping, the president of CGTN America, at the 25th annual Harvard  College China Forum in Boston on Saturday night.

First, I would like to offer my warmest congratulations on the successful completion of this year's Harvard College China Forum.

Boasting nearly 400 years of academic excellence, Harvard University is one of the brightest jewels in the crown of higher education in the United States and the world, embodying the very essence of Western civilization. In my humble opinion, it is exceedingly meaningful and symbolic to hold a China-focused forum here because it exemplifies the most honest communication between China and the West.

Communication is indeed scarce in this extraordinary age, a historical watershed filled with uncertainties.

The theme of this year's forum is "Extraordinary Times." The word "extraordinary," in my view, has at least two layers of meaning. First, after 50 years, China-U.S. relations have once again reached an extraordinarily critical juncture. The way the two countries manage their relationship will leave a profound and long-lasting impact on the course of development of our human civilization.

Second, the existing international order is challenged by extraordinary fragility after 30 years of relatively peaceful globalization. The COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical uncertainty in Eurasia, the looming threat of stagflation, the global shortage of food, energy and other necessities, the rapid rise of extreme and polarized ideologies – these risks are deeply intertwined and test the capacity of the current international institutions from which globalization has benefited. Domestic and international conflicts are occurring at a frequency unseen in a century. Cross-border and cross-regional trade and communication have therefore become increasingly difficult.

These extraordinary struggles constitute much of the era in which we live. We came to this forum because the responsibilities we bear summoned us here to engage in discussion and manage the challenges we face together.

We all understand the necessity of honest and frank dialogue between China and the United States in this age of crisis and distrust. We also believe that China and the United States are responsible for promoting security, prosperity and innovation throughout the world.

The Chinese people are a nation renowned for their strong moral conviction. Ancient teachings tell us that all people under heaven are of one family and all nations should live in harmony and that the world belongs simply to the people who inhabit it. In this sense, every one of us shares a common responsibility to our communities, to our countries and to the small planet on which we dwell.

Furthermore, the more capable we are, the more responsibility we should bear. One Confucian phrase encapsulates this idea, "To cultivate the moral self, regulate the family, maintain the state rightly and make the world peaceful."

As journalists, we are also contributing our efforts to the shared interest of mankind. Beginning two years ago, we have worked diligently to promote a media action – the Global Action Initiative or GAI. The GAI provides a platform for the most insightful and capable politicians, entrepreneurs and scholars from across the globe to brainstorm and discuss how to deal with the common challenges faced by all nations.

The mission of the GAI is to uphold sentiments of mankind virtues, to make China's voice heard, to solve global problems, to demonstrate the responsibilities of the media and to contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the past two years, the GAI has focused on global poverty alleviation and climate change, with successful outcomes. Heads of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, as well as national dignitaries, famed experts, scholars and other distinguished guests have shared their invaluable wisdom through the event, and we also released a call to action to media around the world.

During the GAI event last year, Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group, invited audiences around the world to join our environmental protection efforts: "Let us take action to restore our planet Earth, let consensus overrule difference to build a community with a shared future for all living things on Earth, and safeguard this homeland for us all!" After this initiative was publicized, related stories were reported by 501 overseas media organizations of 27 countries in just one day, reaching more than 420 million people globally.

This year, we will rivet our focus on global sustainable development. There are still millions of impoverished people in the world who yearn to change their fates through economic development.

International support for sustainable development, however, has never been so tenuous as it is today. Because of the ongoing energy crisis, even some EU countries have reversed their fossil fuel policies. In Sri Lanka, the government adopted a very ambitious organic agricultural policy for the sake of sustainable development, which ultimately led to soaring food prices and social unrest. Can we really achieve sustainable development goals in this age of uncertainty?

My colleague, Zhang Xin, participated in the panel discussion on sustainable development, and I listened carefully to the panelists' discussion, which greatly enlightened me and reignited my hope. We have so many innovative minds here who could definitely work out feasible solutions, combining our strength in financial management, entrepreneurship, technological innovation and application, particularly blockchain. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, there are plenty of cooperation opportunities between China and the U.S. in sustainable development.

I hereby cordially invite everyone here to join our Global Action Initiative and share your insights and wisdom. Through our effort, we can direct the course of history of mankind to the right path.

Lastly, congratulations again on the success of the forum. I wish the Harvard College China Forum continued growth long into the future, and I hope this forum can provide a rare opportunity for the talented and cool-headed minds from the two great countries to sit side-by-side and exchange their spectacular ideas. From this historical watershed, let us move forward into the next 50 years of China-U.S. relations and into a fascinating 50 years for mankind!

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