China Bridge Capital Founding Partner Edward Zeng Delivers Speech at Harvard China Forum
Boston, April 15, 2024 – Canada & World Report-On April 18, 2024-The 27th Harvard China Forum was held from April 12th to April 14th, 2024, at Science Center Hall B, Harvard University. This year’s forum adopted the theme “Seeking Resonance, Echoing Friendship” from ‘The Book of Songs,’ aiming to foster consensus and enhance friendly exchanges and cooperation between China, the United States, and the rest of the world.
Established in 1998, the Harvard China Forum serves as a crucial platform for synthesizing knowledge from diverse perspectives and facilitating exchanges and collaboration between China and the United States. The event invites several senior figures from political, business, and academic circles in both countries to engage in discussions regarding the challenges and opportunities facing China. Through dialogue enriched by multiple viewpoints and cultural wisdom, the forum aims to provide insights for China’s future development.
This year’s Harvard China Forum saw the participation of numerous prominent figures from China and abroad dedicated to advancing US-China exchanges and cooperation. Notable attendees included:
- Li Bo, Vice President of the International Monetary Fund and co-founder of the Harvard China Forum
- Jason Furman, former Chairman of the White House National Economic Council and Harvard University economics professor
- Graham Allison, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Professor of political science at Harvard Kennedy School
- Xiang Bing, Dean and Professor of China Business and Globalization at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
- Ming Zeng, former Chief of Staff of Alibaba Group
- Li Bin, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NIO
- Zhou Hongyi, Founder and Chairman of 360 Group
- Liu Yonghao, Chairman of New Hope Group
- Edward Zeng, Founding Partner of China Bridge Capital as well as government officials, university professors, renowned entrepreneurs, and investors.
All participants expressed a shared expectation that, as the two largest economies globally, China and the United States need to enhance communication. Amidst escalating global confrontation, cooperation remains the superior choice. Collaboration not only offers effective solutions to global challenges but also fosters progress and prosperity for both nations and the world.
Mr. Edward Zeng, Founding Partner of China Bridge Capital, served as the closing speaker of the forum, delivering a speech on global development trends. Mr. Zeng highlighted five historical “power shifts” in the world, encompassing land power, sea power, air power, currency power (including the dollar’s ascendancy over the pound and the transition away from the gold standard), and web power (the influence of the internet).
Reflecting on the dot-com bubble’s burst in 2000, Mr. Zeng emphasized the resilience of the United States, attributing its recovery to a robust venture capital system, an innovative culture, and flexible market mechanisms. He anticipated an upcoming sixth “power shift” driven by the AI revolution, labeled as “intelligence power.” Discussing US-China relations, Mr. Zeng advocated against simplistic “black and white” thinking, underscoring the profound implications of the relationship for global politics, economics, security, and the environment. He emphasized the critical role of cooperation between the two nations in addressing transnational issues like climate change.
Mr. Zeng’s speech garnered significant attention from media and attendees alike, sparking discussions and reflection on his views and suggestions. Journalists interviewed several notable individuals present at or following the forum, who praised Mr. Zeng’s insights on US-China relations and their potential to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two nations.
[Caption for the Image: Mr. Zhang Weiyong (left), Mr. Edward Zeng (middle), and Mr. Niu Zhiwen (right) at the closing ceremony of the Harvard China Forum.]
Mr. Zhang Weiyong, Director of the US-China Economic and Cultural Association and founder and Chief Expert of the Elite US Visiting Scholar J1 Visa Program at Elite International, attended the forum. He commended Mr. Zeng’s speech for its profound ideological connotations, transcendence of temporal and spatial limitations, and its role in stimulating discussions and reflections that promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and the United States.
