Washington，Sep.1（Gao Shi）Asia Society announced on Aug, 23, the members of the 2017 class of Asia 21, the Asia-Pacific’s foremost network of young leaders. Thirty remarkable professionals from 21 countries were selected, representing the next generation of leaders in government, business, arts, media, and the nonprofit sector. Three Chinese nationals were named.

They are CGTN’s Chief Political Correspondent and news anchor Wang Guan; Founder and board director of Green Camel Bell Zhao Zhong and Co-founder of a mobile health startup transforming China’s healthcare system Liu Chenhui.

Asia 21 Young Leaders initiative is Asia-Pacific’s foremost young leader's program of diverse change-makers under 40 years of age. Thirty professionals from 21 countries were chosen this year. In a news release, Asia Society says these young people represent the next generation of leaders in government, business, arts, media and the nonprofit sector.

Wang Guan has been based in Washington DC with CCTV and CGTN since December 2011. He currently covers America’s Asia policy with a focus on US-China relations. He also anchors World Today, a global current affairs program. In both capitals, he reported major events shaping China-U.S. relations since 2008. He is one of the most followed Chinese journalists on Chinese and western social media platforms. A series of his South China Sea commentary videos in 2016 generated over 200 million views in China within a month. His “debunker” explainer on US-China trade in 2017 was quoted by prominent news outlets including the New York Times.

Zhao Zhong is the founder and board director of Green Camel Bell, a grassroots environmental NGO in Northwest China. As the first environmental NGO in Gansu Province, Green Camel Bell pioneered the use of China’s information disclosure laws to hold polluters accountable. Zhao and his colleagues also conducted a range of programs and projects focusing on environmental education, water pollution monitoring, eco-agriculture, and grassland conservation. In 2009, he was named a “Hero of the Environment” by TIME magazine.

Chenhui Liu is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Apricot Forest Inc., a leading mobile health startup in China that serves over one-third of all Chinese doctors. In 2015, Apricot Forest was named one of the most innovative healthcare companies in the world by Fast Company magazine. Liu received her postdoctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health, focusing on health care system reform research in rural China.

The three Chinese nationals, along with other Young Leaders, will travel to Melbourne, Australia in late November for the Asia 21 annual summit. Under the theme World Disrupted: Asia’s Future, members of will draw upon their expertise to generate creative approaches to shared challenges. They will share best practices in leadership and explore opportunities for collaboration to make a positive impact across the Asia-Pacific.

Also among this year’s Asia 21 class are Melissa Jardine, a former Australian police officer examining how law enforcement in Asia responds to drug use, economic crimes, and terrorism; Sana Mir, a cricket star challenging attitudes about women’s participation in Pakistan’s male-dominated world of sport; And Shameer Rasooldeen, a news host giving voice to Sri Lanka’s marginalized and silenced voices.

“Asia 21 really brings to life Asia Society's mission to build bridges of understanding across the Asia-Pacific region, across different sectors and between Asia and the world,” Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran said in a statement.

“Our goal is not just to recognize the amazing work these young leaders are doing, but to connect them to one another so that they can take on some of the biggest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region today.”

Now in its 12th year, the Asia 21 Young Leaders initiative has a network of more than 800 young leaders from 40 nations, Asia Society is considered a leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding of Asia in a global context and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy. It was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd.