A University of Maryland College Park student is facing controversy after giving a commencement speech which seems to put down China and praise America.
Her speech includes references to the air being cleaner in the United States, the freedom of people to discuss social issues, and praised democracy.
Her speech has garnered backlash from people in China who have accused her of selling out.
One Chinese commenter on the YouTube video brings up that the area of China where Yang is from, Kunming. It is one of the cleanest from air pollution in the China, a place where no one is wearing the face masks commonly associated with living in China.
According to The New York Times, Yang has clarified her words, saying "I apologize if my speech was at any points misleading. I sincerely hope I can be understood and forgiven by the public. The speech was just sharing a part of my experience studying in the United States. There was no intention to belittle my country and my hometown."