Harvard commencement student speaker linked to CCP-backed group
A student speaker at Harvard University’s 2025 commencement ceremony previously worked for an organization affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Yurong Jiang volunteered from 2018-2022 for the International Department of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation.
A student speaker at Harvard University’s 2025 commencement ceremony previously worked for an organization affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The speaker, Yurong Jiang, delivered a speech at the commencement on May 29 after graduating with an M.P.A. in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School. In her presentation, Jiang advocated for a “connected world” free from “division,” according to Harvard Magazine.
Jiang volunteered from 2018-2022 for the International Department of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), which is operated by the CCP and has connections to the Chinese military, according to reporting by The Daily Caller.
Admirers of Jiang’s speech, including The Harvard Crimson, credited it as a defense of “international diversity” while critiquing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on foreign students at Harvard.
Jiang is originally from China and her speech was initially hailed in the Chinese media, The South China Morning Post revealed.
The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to Harvard on April 17 demanding increased transparency regarding how much foreign funding it receives. The department had found that the school made “inaccurate foreign financial disclosures.”
“As a recipient of federal funding, Harvard University must be transparent about its relations with foreign sources and governments,” said U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “Unfortunately, our review indicated that Harvard has not been fully transparent or complete in its disclosures, which is both unacceptable and unlawful.”
A recent Campus Reform report found that Harvard has received at least $1.4 billion from foreign sources since 2015, including $150 million from China.
In response to these concerns, President Donald Trump attempted to prohibit international students from enrolling at Harvard. However, a federal judge issued a preliminary stay on Trump’s order, effectively blocking the move.
[RELATED: Education Department announces probe into UC Berkeley for undisclosed foreign funding]
However, some say that the Trump administration should do more to prevent foreign infiltration of the U.S. through Harvard University.
“Harvard is one of the world’s greatest institutions, but we will have no choice but to end its existence if it continues to allow itself to be used by those seeking the destruction of our country,” China expert Gordon Chang told The Daily Caller.
“If Harvard insists on posing a threat to America, then the Trump administration must find a way to revoke its charter,” added Chang. “A revocation is constitutional in a national emergency, such as the one we are now in.”
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University and Yurong Jiang for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
