比爾·蓋茨演講中英文全文：

《中國(guó)的未來(lái)：創(chuàng)新、慈善與全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力》

很高興來(lái)到北大，特別是在北大即將迎來(lái)120周年校慶之際。過(guò)去一個(gè)多世紀(jì)以來(lái)，北大在高等教育領(lǐng)域取得了卓越的成就。

自上世紀(jì)九十年代以來(lái)，我曾多次訪問(wèn)中國(guó)。最初，我來(lái)中國(guó)主要是因?yàn)槲④浀墓ぷ鳌Ｊ昵?，我有幸成為北大榮譽(yù)校董；2008年奧運(yùn)會(huì)期間，我在北大現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀看了中國(guó)隊(duì)與韓國(guó)隊(duì)的乒乓球半決賽，這給我留下了難忘的回憶。

大家可能還記得，當(dāng)年中國(guó)隊(duì)包攬了乒乓球男單、女單、男團(tuán)、女團(tuán)等各項(xiàng)金牌——還有兩塊銀牌和兩塊銅牌。對(duì)于我這樣的超級(jí)乒乓球迷來(lái)說(shuō)，親歷賽場(chǎng)的感覺(jué)真是太棒了。

這從某種程度上展示了中國(guó)擁有的超凡潛力。無(wú)論是從自身的發(fā)展還是對(duì)世界的貢獻(xiàn)來(lái)看，中國(guó)都是一個(gè)不斷追求卓越的國(guó)度。

隨著中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)走向成熟，在應(yīng)對(duì)能源和環(huán)境治理等自身挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)，中國(guó)正在做出大膽的抉擇，盡管這確實(shí)艱難。在氣候變化和發(fā)展等全球重大議題上，中國(guó)也發(fā)揮著日益重要的作用。在這樣一個(gè)快速變化的時(shí)代，世界面臨著諸多不確定因素，中國(guó)的作用比以往任何時(shí)候都更重要。

全球化究竟能給普通民眾帶來(lái)多少好處？富裕國(guó)家的人們對(duì)此存在質(zhì)疑。美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選和英國(guó)脫歐公投結(jié)果印證了這些國(guó)家在移民、安全和全球發(fā)展等議題上出現(xiàn)了國(guó)內(nèi)利益優(yōu)先的傾向。

我們高興地看到，中國(guó)正逐步展現(xiàn)其全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力，填補(bǔ)這一缺失。中國(guó)足以勝任這一角色。在過(guò)去的幾十年里，中國(guó)取得了任何國(guó)家都無(wú)法企及的成就：幫助數(shù)億人民擺脫了貧困和疾病，還以人類歷史上前所未有的規(guī)模和速度實(shí)現(xiàn)了經(jīng)濟(jì)現(xiàn)代化。

我們雖然不能期望中國(guó)去填補(bǔ)富裕國(guó)家在發(fā)展援助領(lǐng)域留下的缺口，但中國(guó)承諾將對(duì)非洲的發(fā)展援助擴(kuò)大三倍，真可謂明智之舉。中國(guó)在很久以前就認(rèn)識(shí)到，幫助其他國(guó)家消除貧困相當(dāng)于給各國(guó)人民創(chuàng)造一個(gè)更加穩(wěn)定和安全的世界。

中國(guó)通過(guò)中非發(fā)展基金等融資機(jī)制創(chuàng)新，鼓勵(lì)對(duì)非投資，這不僅發(fā)展了非洲經(jīng)濟(jì)，也為中國(guó)產(chǎn)品走向世界開(kāi)拓了新市場(chǎng)。

中國(guó)讓數(shù)億人口脫貧是一個(gè)不可思議的成就，不過(guò)中國(guó)的發(fā)展并不均衡，迄今仍有4300萬(wàn)人口生活在極端貧困之中。但令人振奮的是，習(xí)近平主席承諾中國(guó)將在2020年前消除極端貧困。

我們的基金會(huì)正在與中國(guó)開(kāi)展新的合作項(xiàng)目，從改善加強(qiáng)農(nóng)村基本醫(yī)療服務(wù)、提高兒童營(yíng)養(yǎng)水平和擴(kuò)大普惠金融等領(lǐng)域入手探索扶貧創(chuàng)新模式。

中國(guó)不僅在解決國(guó)內(nèi)問(wèn)題方面努力取得新突破，也在利用其對(duì)抗貧困和疾病方面的經(jīng)驗(yàn)幫助其他國(guó)家應(yīng)對(duì)類似挑戰(zhàn)。幾年前我訪問(wèn)北京的時(shí)候，汪洋副總理曾說(shuō)：“非洲的今天就是我們的昨天?！边@句話讓我記憶猶新?，F(xiàn)在，來(lái)自中國(guó)的經(jīng)驗(yàn)正在幫助非洲邁向一個(gè)嶄新的明天。

這對(duì)中國(guó)的年輕人來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)絕佳的時(shí)代。當(dāng)你們步入社會(huì)時(shí)，恰逢中國(guó)崛起，成為全球發(fā)展和創(chuàng)新的中心。全世界的目光都在關(guān)注中國(guó)，關(guān)注你們這些即將走出校門的天之驕子。

接下來(lái)，我想和大家在四個(gè)方面進(jìn)行探討。我相信這些領(lǐng)域能夠給你們提供大好機(jī)會(huì)，充分運(yùn)用你們的知識(shí)，發(fā)揮你們的熱情和抱負(fù)，推動(dòng)中國(guó)和世界取得更加令人矚目的進(jìn)步。這四個(gè)領(lǐng)域分別是健康、農(nóng)業(yè)、能源和技術(shù)。

首先是健康領(lǐng)域。17年前，當(dāng)梅琳達(dá)和我決定成立基金會(huì)時(shí)，我們不斷問(wèn)自己：怎么才能使我們的資源產(chǎn)生最大的影響？很快，我們就意識(shí)到健康領(lǐng)域的改善是重中之重。

如果沒(méi)有健康的身體，一個(gè)人就無(wú)法高效地學(xué)習(xí)或工作，更不用說(shuō)擺脫貧困和賺錢養(yǎng)家了。

梅琳達(dá)和我親眼目睹了中國(guó)為自己的人民創(chuàng)造了更加美好的生活，這也促使我們思考如何更好地支持中國(guó)的發(fā)展。過(guò)去的十年里，我們?cè)谥袊?guó)的工作重心一直放在那些中國(guó)尚未完全解決的健康挑戰(zhàn)上，如減少結(jié)核病和煙草相關(guān)疾病、預(yù)防艾滋病病毒傳播以及改善艾滋病患者的治療和關(guān)懷等等。

在持續(xù)支持這些領(lǐng)域的同時(shí)，我們?cè)谥袊?guó)的工作也隨著中國(guó)不斷變化的需求和重心而改變。比如，我們看到中國(guó)在引領(lǐng)全球健康創(chuàng)新方面潛力巨大。

沒(méi)有人能比屠呦呦教授更好地證明中國(guó)在這一領(lǐng)域的能力。屠教授是北大校友，也是首位獲得諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)的中國(guó)女性。

屠教授發(fā)現(xiàn)的青蒿素可以有效地治療瘧疾，已經(jīng)挽救了數(shù)百萬(wàn)的生命，堪稱20世紀(jì)熱帶病藥物最重要的突破之一。她的貢獻(xiàn)得到了世界的認(rèn)可。

中國(guó)擁有大批才華橫溢的科學(xué)家和強(qiáng)大的藥物及疫苗研發(fā)能力。因此，當(dāng)我們?yōu)橐粋€(gè)新的“全球健康藥物研發(fā)中心”項(xiàng)目選址時(shí)，中國(guó)的勝出毫無(wú)懸念。這個(gè)中心由蓋茨基金會(huì)與北京市政府、清華大學(xué)攜手共建，將通過(guò)加速藥物研發(fā)應(yīng)對(duì)全球衛(wèi)生和人類健康的挑戰(zhàn)。

今天早些時(shí)候，我有機(jī)會(huì)和幾位正在從事前沿科學(xué)研究的中國(guó)科學(xué)家進(jìn)行了近距離交流，其中有國(guó)家食品藥品監(jiān)督管理總局國(guó)家藥品評(píng)審中心的首席科學(xué)家何如意博士。他本人的工作，以及食藥監(jiān)總局正在推行的改革，將為創(chuàng)新打造更為有利的環(huán)境。我們正在和食藥監(jiān)總局合作，吸引更多像何如意博士這樣的專家，幫助提升中國(guó)的監(jiān)管能力，以推動(dòng)更多中國(guó)的醫(yī)藥健康產(chǎn)品進(jìn)入全球市場(chǎng)，包括發(fā)展中國(guó)家市場(chǎng)。

在對(duì)抗瘧疾挑戰(zhàn)方面，中國(guó)有著巨大的潛力引領(lǐng)世界。繼天花和即將被消滅的脊髓灰質(zhì)炎之后，我們有望在中國(guó)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下，讓瘧疾成為第三種從地球上消失的人類疾病。

一個(gè)多世紀(jì)前，瘧疾幾乎是所有國(guó)家致死率最高的疾病。一百多年來(lái)，人類在減少瘧疾致死人數(shù)方面取得了巨大的進(jìn)步。中國(guó)正在為消除國(guó)內(nèi)瘧疾有序推進(jìn)各項(xiàng)工作，很有可能在幾年內(nèi)實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)。但是，目前世界上仍然有32億人面臨罹患瘧疾的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

為在全球范圍內(nèi)消除瘧疾，我們需要在屠教授發(fā)現(xiàn)的青蒿素的基礎(chǔ)上，開(kāi)發(fā)單劑藥物等其他更強(qiáng)有力的工具，并尋求更好的方法，以阻止瘧疾通過(guò)蚊蟲在人群中傳播。

中國(guó)很有潛力開(kāi)發(fā)一些既高效、又讓發(fā)展中國(guó)家可負(fù)擔(dān)的解決方案。在非洲和湄公河流域等瘧疾最為肆虐的地區(qū)，我們現(xiàn)在就可以采取更多行動(dòng)來(lái)控制乃至消滅這一疾病——通過(guò)分享自己的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，中國(guó)能夠幫助這些地區(qū)的家庭獲得蚊帳，防止被感染。中國(guó)還能夠幫助這些國(guó)家加強(qiáng)本國(guó)的衛(wèi)生和疾病監(jiān)控體系，更好地預(yù)防、診斷和治療瘧疾。

除了健康領(lǐng)域之外，我認(rèn)為中國(guó)能夠推動(dòng)全球進(jìn)步的第二大領(lǐng)域是農(nóng)業(yè)。1975年以來(lái)，中國(guó)的農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)率以每年12%的速度增長(zhǎng)，是非洲農(nóng)業(yè)年增長(zhǎng)率的四倍。農(nóng)業(yè)發(fā)展不僅解決了基數(shù)巨大且不斷增長(zhǎng)的中國(guó)人口的溫飽問(wèn)題，還促進(jìn)了國(guó)民營(yíng)養(yǎng)和健康水平的改善、農(nóng)村收入的增加和貧困人口的下降，并向其他產(chǎn)業(yè)提供勞動(dòng)力，從而在整體上推動(dòng)了中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。

引發(fā)中國(guó)當(dāng)代綠色革命的因素有很多，其中最重要的一點(diǎn)是中國(guó)在農(nóng)業(yè)創(chuàng)新領(lǐng)域的投入以及像袁隆平教授等杰出專家們的努力。袁教授是湖南農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)的農(nóng)作物專家，他研究的雜交水稻將水稻畝產(chǎn)量平均提高了20%。

中國(guó)在雜交水稻領(lǐng)域取得的持續(xù)進(jìn)步能夠?yàn)槿龉阅戏侵薜貐^(qū)數(shù)百萬(wàn)的小農(nóng)戶帶來(lái)巨大的好處，他們中有很多人無(wú)法生產(chǎn)足夠的糧食養(yǎng)活家人，并將在未來(lái)幾十年面臨更加嚴(yán)峻的氣候狀況。

自2008年起，我們支持中國(guó)農(nóng)業(yè)科學(xué)院和其他科研機(jī)構(gòu)開(kāi)發(fā)水稻新品種。通過(guò)將這些品種與塞內(nèi)加爾、坦桑尼亞和盧旺達(dá)等國(guó)的本地品種進(jìn)行雜交，我們將得到高產(chǎn)量的耐逆境作物，增加農(nóng)民的收成和收入。

但是，隨著全球人口壓力不斷增長(zhǎng)，我們還需付出更多努力。

中國(guó)科學(xué)家最令人矚目的研究成果之一是作物的超級(jí)光合作用，這不僅能大幅提升糧食產(chǎn)量，還能減少對(duì)灌溉和化肥的需求。

我們還支持中國(guó)科學(xué)家開(kāi)展提高家畜健康水平的研究工作，這對(duì)發(fā)展中國(guó)家的食品安全和農(nóng)村經(jīng)濟(jì)具有至關(guān)重要的作用。我們正與中國(guó)商務(wù)部和農(nóng)業(yè)部合作，共同推進(jìn)非洲農(nóng)業(yè)的可持續(xù)發(fā)展。

中國(guó)的第三大全球機(jī)遇是能源創(chuàng)新。中國(guó)目前已經(jīng)成為可再生能源領(lǐng)域的全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者之一，而且最近還宣布將在2020年前，對(duì)可再生能源領(lǐng)域投資3600億美元。無(wú)論從中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)還是全球商業(yè)長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)機(jī)遇的角度而言，這一舉措都將產(chǎn)生豐厚的回報(bào)。

知易行難。中國(guó)現(xiàn)在需要找到常規(guī)能源和新能源技術(shù)的平衡點(diǎn)，這是一個(gè)不小的挑戰(zhàn)。我們也需要更多類型的能源，在滿足能源需求的同時(shí)實(shí)現(xiàn)溫室氣體減排。

中國(guó)在這方面能開(kāi)展的另一項(xiàng)工作就是引領(lǐng)下一代核能技術(shù)的發(fā)展。下一代核技術(shù)將更加安全、廉價(jià)，并能克服目前核技術(shù)面臨的許多困難。我投資的泰拉能源公司正與中國(guó)核工業(yè)集團(tuán)公司以及其他中國(guó)企業(yè)合作，將這一設(shè)想變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)。

我曾有機(jī)會(huì)與習(xí)近平主席多次會(huì)面，他在巴黎氣候大會(huì)上作出的承諾和領(lǐng)袖風(fēng)范令我深受鼓舞。中國(guó)連同其他21個(gè)國(guó)家承諾在今后五年內(nèi)對(duì)清潔能源創(chuàng)新領(lǐng)域的投入增加一倍。

我和馬云先生，還有一些其他投資者共同成立了一支10億美元的突破能源基金，用于支持早期能源技術(shù)開(kāi)發(fā)，將實(shí)驗(yàn)室里最好的想法轉(zhuǎn)化為市場(chǎng)產(chǎn)品。

中國(guó)擁有巨大潛力的第四個(gè)領(lǐng)域是軟件開(kāi)發(fā)。我還在微軟的時(shí)候，從中國(guó)各大高校走出的計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)家和研發(fā)人員給我們留下了深刻的印象，直接促使我們?cè)诒本┏闪⑽④泚喼扪芯吭?，到現(xiàn)在一晃已近二十年。

目前，微軟亞洲研究院仍然是微軟在美國(guó)本土以外最大的基礎(chǔ)研究機(jī)構(gòu)，聚集了200多名全球頂尖的研究和開(kāi)發(fā)人員以及300多名訪問(wèn)學(xué)者和實(shí)習(xí)生。

研究院最大的優(yōu)點(diǎn)是研究人員可以自由地探索自己最感興趣的領(lǐng)域，只有這樣才有可能實(shí)現(xiàn)像微軟小冰這樣的突破。小冰是一款人工智能聊天機(jī)器人，在座有人可能已經(jīng)在微博上和她聊過(guò)天，在電視上看她播報(bào)過(guò)天氣預(yù)報(bào)，或者在《錢江晚報(bào)》上讀過(guò)她的專欄。

小冰目前已經(jīng)吸引了4500萬(wàn)名粉絲。她非常善于同時(shí)處理多項(xiàng)工作。而且我聽(tīng)說(shuō)小冰現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)能夠感知用戶情緒，甚至在別人失戀時(shí)給予安慰。

除了為微軟開(kāi)發(fā)新技術(shù)外，亞洲研究院還幫助已經(jīng)有好產(chǎn)品的軟件創(chuàng)業(yè)人員擴(kuò)大業(yè)務(wù)規(guī)模。在過(guò)去兩年時(shí)間里，從“微軟加速器”項(xiàng)目畢業(yè)的125家公司中的大部分都獲得了追加的投資，而且其中有三家創(chuàng)業(yè)型企業(yè)已經(jīng)成功上市。

亞洲研究院還支持奔跑在通向成功道路上的軟件開(kāi)發(fā)人員。我們?cè)谥袊?guó)已經(jīng)招募了5000多名實(shí)習(xí)生。有一個(gè)消息一定會(huì)讓你們感到開(kāi)心——過(guò)去三年里從北大招募的實(shí)習(xí)生數(shù)量比清華多。但是差距并不大。所以，在座計(jì)算機(jī)專業(yè)的各位同學(xué)們，你們要加把勁！

技術(shù)也在推動(dòng)中國(guó)公益慈善事業(yè)的發(fā)展。這是一個(gè)日益增長(zhǎng)并有巨大潛力的領(lǐng)域。2015年，公眾通過(guò)中國(guó)四大在線捐助平臺(tái)所捐贈(zèng)的善款高達(dá)9.66億人民幣。

騰訊公益基金會(huì)幾年前發(fā)起的“9·9公益日”取得了巨大的成功。這證明當(dāng)人們擁有便捷的途徑參與公益、回饋社會(huì)時(shí)，他們往往都會(huì)付諸行動(dòng)。去年，在三天時(shí)間里，600萬(wàn)公眾——這里面也許包括你們當(dāng)中的一些人——募集了高達(dá)3.05億元人民幣的善款，為3600余個(gè)項(xiàng)目提供了支持。這只是公益慈善事業(yè)在中國(guó)蓬勃發(fā)展的一個(gè)例子。

馬云、馬化騰、陳一丹、牛根生等一大批成功的企業(yè)家已經(jīng)令中國(guó)個(gè)人財(cái)富總值躍居世界第二，他們正積極采取各種行動(dòng)參與公益、回饋社會(huì)。

中國(guó)去年9月生效的《慈善法》為個(gè)人參與公益慈善活動(dòng)開(kāi)辟了更多途徑。人們積極參加各類重大公益慈善活動(dòng)，比如去年秋季在北大校園舉辦的第6屆全球社會(huì)化媒體與公益峰會(huì)，就吸引了眾多年輕人的參與。

你們中的有些人可能會(huì)決定加入公益慈善組織，幫助弱勢(shì)群體改善生活。不過(guò)即使不全職從事這樣的工作，或者沒(méi)有很多錢可以捐贈(zèng)，你們依然可以通過(guò)其他方式貢獻(xiàn)自己的力量。你們可以花時(shí)間去了解一個(gè)新的議題、為某個(gè)問(wèn)題奔走呼吁，或者參與志愿服務(wù)，這些都很有意義。

大家想想，如果你堅(jiān)信自己能讓世界變得更美好，這該是多么令人心潮澎湃、備受鼓舞的事情。而眼下正是大家施展才華的最好時(shí)機(jī)。

當(dāng)今，隨著地緣政治風(fēng)向的變化，中國(guó)有機(jī)會(huì)推動(dòng)世界在最為緊迫的挑戰(zhàn)上實(shí)現(xiàn)突破。中國(guó)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人正在抓住這一機(jī)遇，而傳承這一事業(yè)則需要依靠中國(guó)的年輕人。

在過(guò)去的幾十年間，成千上萬(wàn)的中國(guó)人獲得了事業(yè)和財(cái)務(wù)上的成功。我相信今天在座的各位也會(huì)取得同樣的成功。這是一件很棒的事。對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，在微軟工作的每一刻都彌足珍貴，如果讓我重新選擇，我一定會(huì)選擇再來(lái)一次。

現(xiàn)在，在從事慈善工作的過(guò)程中，我又遇到許多以其他方式揮灑激情、奉獻(xiàn)才華的人。他們中的許多人都是樂(lè)天行動(dòng)派——一群堅(jiān)信現(xiàn)實(shí)能夠改變并愿意為此付諸行動(dòng)的人。

他們是大無(wú)畏的醫(yī)生們，不顧自己的生命危險(xiǎn)奮力拯救埃博拉患者的生命；他們是富有創(chuàng)造力的企業(yè)家們，通過(guò)無(wú)人機(jī)向偏遠(yuǎn)村莊運(yùn)送救命藥品；他們是來(lái)自社會(huì)各界的志愿者們，心甘情愿地幫助那些無(wú)家可歸的窮人或面臨生存風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的兒童。

你或許希望每一個(gè)在貧窮環(huán)境下成長(zhǎng)的孩子都能獲得足夠的營(yíng)養(yǎng)，以便在學(xué)校取得最好的成績(jī)；你或許希望研發(fā)一種能夠保護(hù)人們免受瘧疾威脅的疫苗；你或許希望設(shè)計(jì)一款電池，在夜晚照亮人們的書桌，或者研發(fā)一項(xiàng)移動(dòng)技術(shù)，有朝一日能幫助人們開(kāi)辦自己的公司。

無(wú)論你有什么樣的雄心壯志要去改變世界，就放手去做吧。沒(méi)有比現(xiàn)在更好的時(shí)機(jī)，也沒(méi)有比現(xiàn)在更好的環(huán)境了。你們每個(gè)人都擁有很棒的機(jī)會(huì)，我對(duì)你們未來(lái)所能取得的成就充滿期待。謝謝！ 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: INNOVATION, PHILANTHROPY, AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

BILL GATES:

Thank you, Professor Lin. It’s great to be here today. Beida (Peking University) has a long history and I’m sure that, next year, as you celebrate its 120th anniversary, you will look back on the incredible contributions it has made to this country.

I’ve been coming to China since the early 1990s, initially for my work at Microsoft. Ten years ago, I was privileged to be named an honorary trustee here at Beida. I remember what a great time I had here in 2008 watching the Olympic table tennis semi-finals between China and South Korea.

As I’m sure you remember, China took the gold medal in every category—the men’s singles, the women’s singles, the men’s and women’s team events. That was on top of two silver and two bronze medals. For someone who’s as big of a fan of table tennis as I am, it was an incredible moment to witness.

And it highlights in one way, the incredible potential China has. This is a country on a quest for excellence, not only to improve itself but to contribute to the whole world.

As China’s economy matures, it is making bold and difficult choices on challenges like energy and pollution. And China is assuming a greater role on critical global issues like climate and development. This matters now more than ever as the world navigates a time of change and uncertainty.

In some rich countries, there is skepticism about how well globalization works for ordinary people. The results of the U.S. presidential election and the Brexit vote in the UK underscore the temptation to turn inward on issues like migration, security, and global development.

It’s great to see China stepping up to fill the leadership vacuum. It is uniquely well-equipped to do so. No other country has accomplished what China has achieved in the last few decades—breaking the relentless cycle of poverty and disease for hundreds of millions of people while modernizing its economy at a scale and speed unprecedented in human history.

Although China can’t be expected to fill a gap in development aid from wealthy countries, it has made a smart choice in tripling its commitment to African development. China has long understood that helping other countries lift themselves out of poverty creates a more stable and secure world for people everywhere.

And by encouraging investment through innovative financing mechanisms like the China-Africa Development Fund, China is strengthening not only Africa’s economic capacity, but also, over time, markets for Chinese goods.

It’s also great to see President Xi’s commitment to eliminate extreme poverty in China by 2020. China did a great job lifting millions out of poverty. But progress has been uneven. Forty-three million people are still living in extreme poverty.

Our foundation looks forward to a new partnership with China that will focus on innovative ways to reduce poverty—through better nutrition and healthcare in rural areas, and by increasing access to financial services for the poor.

China isn’t just striving to reach new heights at home. It is using its own experience fighting poverty and disease to help other countries tackle similar challenges. When I was in Beijing a few years ago, Vice Premier Wang Yang said something that stayed with me. He said: “Africa today is our yesterday.” Now, China is using the lessons it has learned to usher in a new tomorrow for Africa, too.

This is a pretty incredible time to be a young person in China. Your generation’s entrance into the workforce will coincide with your country’s rise as a center of global progress and innovation. The world’s eyes are on China . . . and as the generation now coming of age, the world’s eyes are specifically on all of you.

So, I’d like to spend the rest of my time with you today talking about four areas where I think there are exciting opportunities to use your education, your passion, and your opportunities to unlock more amazing progress—for both China and for the world.  Specifically, health, agriculture, energy, and technology.

First, health. When Melinda and I started our foundation 17 years ago, we asked ourselves: how can we use our financial resources to make the greatest impact? It didn’t take long to realize that improving health was at the top of the list.

When people aren’t healthy, they can’t learn in school or be productive at work. They’re unable to seize economic opportunities or do any of the things they need to do to lift themselves out of poverty.

Melinda and I saw the example of China creating a better life for its people, and it inspired us to see if there was a way to support China’s progress. Over the last decade, our work in China has focused on several of the most persistent domestic health challenges — specifically reducing the incidence of tuberculosis and tobacco-related diseases, preventing HIV transmission, and improving treatment and care for people living with AIDS.

While we are continuing to support progress in these areas, our work in China is evolving along with China’s new priorities. For example, China has a great opportunity to be a global leader in health innovation.

No one exemplifies this better than Professor Tu Youyou. As I’m sure most of you know, Professor Tu is a Beida graduate and the first woman in China to win a Nobel Prize.

Professor Tu was recognized for her discovery of artemisinin, a powerful medicine used to treat malaria. This was one of the most significant breakthroughs in tropical medicine in the 20th century and it has saved millions of lives.  

With its rich pool of talented scientists and its capacity to develop new drugs and vaccines, China was a clear choice for us to locate a new Global Health Drug Discovery Institute. This institute—a collaboration between our foundation, the Beijing Municipal Government, and Tsinghua University—will help speed the discovery and development of new lifesaving medicines.

I had a chance earlier today to meet with some of the Chinese scientists who are driving cutting edge research. For instance, Dr. He Ruyi is the Chief Scientist at the Center for Drug Evaluation of the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). His work—and the reforms being carried out by his agency—will create an environment where innovation can thrive. We are working with the CFDA to bring in more experts like Dr. Ruyi to help improve its regulatory capacity so more Chinese health products can be made accessible to the entire world, including developing countries.

One area that China has an incredible chance to lead in is in reducing and eventually eradicating malaria. With China’s leadership, we stand a chance to make malaria the third human disease—after smallpox and, soon, polio—to be wiped off the face of the earth.

A little more than a century ago, malaria was a leading cause of death in nearly every country on earth. There has been great progress since then, and China is on track to eliminate malaria completely in the next few years. But more than 3.2 billion people around the world still live in areas where there’s a risk of malaria infection.

To achieve the goal of global eradication, we need to build on Professor Tu’s discovery of artemisinin and develop more powerful tools—like a single-dose cure and better ways to block transmission of malaria from mosquitos to humans.

China has the potential to develop these new high-impact solutions at a cost that developing countries can afford. We can start today by controlling and eliminating malaria in places like the Mekong River basin and in Africa.

Drawing on lessons learned from its own experience, China can help ensure that every family has bed nets to protect them from infection. And it can help countries strengthen their health and disease surveillance systems to better diagnose, treat, and prevent future cases of malaria.

That’s health. The second area where I believe China can drive global progress is agriculture.  Since 1975, Chinese agricultural productivity has grown at a rate of 12 percent per year—four times the annual rate of growth in Africa.

That hasn’t just fed a large and growing population. It has led to better nutrition and health, higher rural incomes, falling poverty rates, and more labor available to other sectors to drive China’s economic development.

There are many factors that accounted for China’s recent green revolution. One of the most significant is its commitment to agricultural innovation and the work of people like Professor Yuan Longping. A crop scientist at Hunan Agricultural University, Professor Yuan developed hybrid rice varieties that increased crop yields by 20 percent.

China’s continuing advances in rice could be of enormous benefit to millions of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom today are barely growing enough to feed their families and who will face more difficult weather conditions in the decades ahead.

Since 2008, we have been supporting work by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and others to develop new varieties of rice that—when crossed with domestic varieties in countries like Senegal, Tanzania, and Rwanda—will result in high-yielding, stress-tolerant crops that will boost farmer yields and income. But to feed a growing planet, we need to do more.

One of the most exciting efforts is research by Chinese scientists to supercharge the process of photosynthesis in grains. This would significantly increase crop yields while reducing the demand for irrigation and fertilizer.

We also are supporting research by Chinese scientists to improve the health of livestock, which plays a vital role in food security and the rural economy of developing countries. And we are working with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the Ministry of Agriculture to promote sustainable agricultural development throughout Africa.

This brings me to what I think of as China’s third global opportunity: energy innovation. China already is one of the world leaders in renewable energy. And it recently announced that it will spend $360 billion on renewable power sources by 2020. This will pay off handsomely for China domestically, and as a long-term global business opportunity.

It won’t be easy. China faces a big challenge domestically sorting out the right mix of existing and new energy technologies. Many forms of energy will be needed to reduce greenhouse gases and meet energy needs.

One of the things China could do is pioneer next-generation nuclear technology. It will be dramatically safer and substantially cheaper and solve a lot of the challenges with today's nuclear energy. I have a company, TerraPower, that is partnering with China National Nuclear Corporation and other Chinese companies to make this a reality.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet several times with President Xi and am encouraged by his commitment— and by his leadership at the Paris Climate talks. China was one of the 22 countries that committed to doubling their investments in clean energy innovation over the next five years.

I’m also working with Jack Ma and other investors who have pledged to invest $1 billion in the development of early stage energy technology so we can move the best ideas from the research lab to the marketplace.

A fourth area where I see great potential for China is software. When I was at Microsoft, we were so impressed by the quality of computer scientists and developers coming out of universities in China that we established one of our first research labs in Beijing. That was almost 20 years ago.

Today, it is Microsoft’s largest research center outside the U.S.. It’s a phenomenal place, with 200 of the world’s top researchers and developers and more than 300 visiting scientists and fellows.

The best thing about it is that researchers are free to explore what they’re most passionate about, which leads to breakthroughs like Xiaoice, a natural-language chat bot that simulates human conversation.

Some of you may have had conversations with Xiaoice on Weibo, or seen her weather forecasts on TV, or read her column in the Qianjiang Evening News.

Xiaoice has attracted 45 million followers and is quite skilled at multitasking. And I’ve heard she’s gotten good enough at sensing a user’s emotional state that she can even help with relationship breakups.

Besides developing new technologies for Microsoft, the Beijing lab also helps software entrepreneurs who have a great product ideas and need help scaling their business. In the last two years, most of the 125 companies that graduated from the Microsoft Accelerator program were able to secure additional funding. And three of the startups have gone public.

The Beijing lab also supports up-and-coming software developers. We’ve hired more than 5,000 interns in China. And you’ll be happy to know that we’ve recruited more students in the last three years from Beida than from Tsinghua University. But it’s a slim lead, so those of you here in computer science, will have to keep up your good work!

Technology is also helping to power the philanthropic sector in China. It’s a growing sector and one with tremendous potential. In 2015, people contributed 966 million RMB to causes they care about using the four largest online donation platforms.

And the success of 9/9 Charity Day, started a few years ago by the Tencent Foundation, shows what is possible when people have an easy way to get involved and give back. In just three days last year, 6 million people—people like you—raised 305 million RMB in support of more than 3,600 projects. This is just one example of how philanthropy is beginning to blossom here in China.

A lot of the most successful entrepreneurs, like Jack Ma, Pony Ma, Charles Chen Yidan and Niu Gensheng, have helped create the world’s second largest pool of individual wealth. And now they’re taking steps to get involved and give back.

The new charity law that took effect last September opens up more opportunities for people to get engaged. People are coming together at events like the sixth China Social Good Summit held at Beida last fall.

Some of you may decide to work for NGOs that are making life better for the most vulnerable in society. But even if you don’t end up doing that, or to make big financial donations, there are other ways of getting involved. Just the fact that you’re learning about a topic, lending your voice to an issue, or volunteering your time, is important.

What an incredible, motivating thing that is—the belief that you can make the world a better place. There has never been a better moment.

As the geopolitical currents shifts, China has an opportunity to advance progress on the most urgent challenges the world faces. China's leaders are embracing this opportunity, but it will be up to China’s youth to carry this forward.

In the last few decades, millions of people in China have achieved professional and financial success. I’m sure all of you will too, and that's a great thing. I certainly enjoyed every moment at Microsoft and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

But now I’ve also had the opportunity in my philanthropic work to meet people who apply their talents and passion in other ways. Many of these people are impatient optimists. People who believe in the possibility of change and are eager to do something about it.

Doctors courageous enough to risk their own lives to save the lives of others suffering from Ebola. Entrepreneurs using their ingenuity to deliver life-saving drugs to remote villages by drone. And people of all walks of life who volunteer their time to help the homeless or mentor a child at risk.

Maybe you are the person who wants to ensure that every child growing up in poverty has the nutrition they need to do their best in school. Maybe you want to develop the next vaccine that protects everyone from malaria. Maybe you want to design the battery that lights people’s desks at night, or the mobile technology that will allow people to start new businesses.

No matter what your ambition is to improve the world, this is the best time and the best place to do it, and all of you have a great opportunity. I look forward to seeing what you’ll achieve. Thank you!

屠呦呦信件中英文全文：

您好！高興地得知您訪問(wèn)北京并在北京大學(xué)做公開(kāi)演講，對(duì)于您的光臨,在此表示衷心的歡迎。非常感謝您和您的基金會(huì)邀請(qǐng)我參加這次活動(dòng)，但由于我的身體狀況所限，我非常抱歉無(wú)法回到母校聆聽(tīng)您的精彩講演?？萍紕?chuàng)新正在改變世界，然而全球社會(huì)的發(fā)展并不平衡。您一向倡導(dǎo)創(chuàng)新，并號(hào)召有創(chuàng)新能力的機(jī)構(gòu)和個(gè)人關(guān)注貧困人群的需求，以服務(wù)于貧困人群為己任。對(duì)此，我十分欽佩與贊賞。我相信，今天在座的聽(tīng)眾也一定會(huì)有同感。人類始終面臨疾病的威脅與健康的挑戰(zhàn)。我和我的研究團(tuán)隊(duì)繼續(xù)研究青蒿素的作用機(jī)理及其新適應(yīng)癥，致力于中醫(yī)藥的發(fā)展和應(yīng)用。我們也相信，中國(guó)在瘧疾防控方面的創(chuàng)新成果和成功經(jīng)驗(yàn)可以為其他發(fā)展中國(guó)家所用，挽救更多生命。您和您的基金會(huì)一直關(guān)注全球危害窮人生命健康的重大傳染性疾病，包括瘧疾、結(jié)核病等疾病的防控。我非常贊賞您的不懈努力，并相信您在2017年度公開(kāi)信中所說(shuō)："未來(lái)的美好將遠(yuǎn)超悲觀主義者的想象"。您和您的基金會(huì)正在為人類健康的美好未來(lái)做出非凡的貢獻(xiàn)。尊敬的蓋茨先生，我們有共同的愿望，希望人類的明天更美好，并認(rèn)為這是可以做到的。我期望年青一代能夠心懷世界，以天下為己任，成長(zhǎng)為德才兼?zhèn)涞臈澚?，以?chuàng)新迎戰(zhàn)各種挑戰(zhàn)，為人類的福祉做出更多的奉獻(xiàn)。

致以最良好的祝愿！

屠呦呦教授,

主任中國(guó)中醫(yī)科學(xué)院青蒿素研究中心

March 16, 2017

Dear Mr. Gates,

Please accept my warmest welcome ahead of your visit to Beijing. I am very grateful for your and the Gates Foundation's invitation to attend the speech you will be giving at my alma mater. However, I am reluctant to say that I will not be able to attend due to health reasons.In spite of the positive impact of science and technology, global development today is unequal. You have been a strong advocate for the importance of innovation and have called upon pioneering institutions and individuals to use innovative solutions to address the needs of the poor. I greatly admire your devotion to helping the disadvantaged, and I am sure the audience will share my sentiments.Human beings are constantly faced with the threat of disease and other health challenges. My team and I are continuing our research into artemisinin's mechanism of actions and its new indications, as well as promoting the development and application of traditional Chinese medicine. We believe that China's innovation and successful experience in malaria control can be applied to other developing countries to save more lives. You personally, and the Gates Foundation, have been focused on the prevention and control of critical infectious diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, that pose huge challenges to the lives and health of the poor. I greatly admire your constant efforts and share the belief you expressed in your 2017 annual letter: the future will surprise the pessimists. You and the Gates Foundation are indeed making an extraordinary contribution to the bright future of human health.Mr. Gates, we share the same hope for a better tomorrow and are convinced that it is within reach. I hope that the younger generation will take up the mantle of caring for the world with ability and integrity, look to the power of innovation when faced with challenges, and contribute to the wellbeing of all humankind.

Yours sincerely,

TU Youyou

Professor and DirectorArtemisinin Research CenterChinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences