On April 20, 2024, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024 and delivered a speech.

Ambassador Xie noted that bearing special obligations for maintaining global strategic stability, major countries should rise to the occasion and uphold the common good. The more turbulent the international landscape is, the greater need for major countries to cooperate. 

From global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence (AI), to regional hotspots including the Middle East and the Ukraine crisis, cooperation between China and the United States can create incredible synergy. Global public goods offered by China, including the Belt and Road Initiative, are open to all sides. We are willing to coordinate with the United States, and jointly explore third-party market cooperation. Will the U.S. side also welcome China to be part of its multilateral initiatives?

Ambassador Xie emphasized that to combat climate change, resources across the world should be fully mobilized. Globally, green capacity is not excessive, but in dire scarcity. The problem now is not “overcapacity”, but “over-anxiety”. Calling for stronger climate response on one hand but erecting green trade barriers on the other would only raise the costs for one’s own low-carbon transition, and also slow down the global development of clean energy.

The era of AI, a double-edged sword, is here. How China and the United States interact on this issue bears on human future. The two sides already agreed to hold the first round of government talks on AI this spring. We should check the brake before hitting the road. Likewise, we should bring AI well under control and ensure it will be a blessing for humanity.