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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — "Women are creators of material and spiritual wealth and are an important driving force for social development and progress," Chinese President Xi Jinping once said.
The Chinese leader made this statement while chairing the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 27, 2015, during which Xi Jinping declared China's commitment to promoting women's development and international cooperation for women.
Over the past decade, China has made significant progress in promoting the all-round development of women.
At the same time, China has joined forces with countries around the world to empower women.
ENSURING HER WELL-BEING
At the end of September, 14-year-old Alifa Chin from Bangladesh visited China for the third time. She toured universities and exchanged ideas with her Chinese peers, gaining inspiration and energy to pursue her dream.
Alifa Chin was born in 2010. Her mother suffered from a serious heart condition, which made the birth very difficult. At the time, the People's Liberation Army Navy hospital ship Peace Ark was in Bangladesh as part of a mission to provide free medical services to the population of several countries. Upon learning of the critical situation, Chinese doctors on board rushed to a local hospital to perform a Caesarean section on the mother. The lives of both mother and daughter were saved.
The child's father, Anwar Hossen, decided to name his daughter "Chin," which means "China" in Bengali.
In 2017, Alifa Chin met Chinese doctor Sheng Ruifang, who performed the surgery. They embraced warmly, and Alifa called her "Chinese mom" in English. From that moment, her dream of becoming a doctor was born. Sheng Ruifang supported her aspirations, saying, "I'm ready to share all my experience with you."
In 2023, Alifa Chin wrote a letter to Xi Jinping, expressing her special connection to China and sharing her dream. In his response, the Chinese President urged her to study hard to achieve her dream, repay her family, contribute to society, and serve her country.
Alifa Chin framed Xi Jinping's letter and placed it on her desk. "I want to tell dear Grandpa Xi that I always remember your advice and am studying hard to achieve my dreams," she emphasized. "My 'Chinese mother' gave me life and inspiration, and I hope to follow her example, using my abilities to help and save others."
China's global initiatives demonstrate its commitment to women's well-being. China is assisting developing countries with 100 "women's and children's health projects" and 100 "happy campus projects" that provide educational support to girls from low-income families.
Former Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova praised the China-UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education, which was jointly established in 2015. The award supported 20 projects in 19 countries, raising global awareness of the importance of education for women's well-being and empowerment.
HELPING HER SUCCEED IN LIFE
Tanzanian livestock farmer Tahia Bauso Massawe is benefiting greatly from Chinese technology for growing the multifunctional grass crop "juncao." She was initially skeptical about the new feed developed by Chinese specialists.
"It looks like sugarcane. Will livestock really eat this?" she wondered. However, the cows loved the feed, and their milk yield nearly doubled.
The increased income allowed Tahiya to purchase new equipment and a vehicle and hire 16 employees, half of whom were women. She began encouraging other women to also grow juncao, which enabled many of them to earn their first income, support their families, and help their children get an education.
For Tahiya, juncao symbolizes equality, hope, and opportunity. She says this technology, provided by Chinese specialists, is gradually improving their lives and changing the role of local women.
At numerous international events, Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the vital role of women's development in achieving overall progress. "Development is impossible without women, and the benefits it brings must be shared by all," he stated at a meeting at the UN in 2015.
To date, juncao cultivation technology has created employment opportunities for women in 106 countries. The "Bamboo as a Plastic Substitute" initiative, jointly launched by China and the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, has improved the lives of women in many African countries. Nearly 6,000 women have completed vocational training courses through China's "Lu Ban Workshop" training program.
As Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, pointed out, in some developing countries women still lag behind men in many areas due to a lack of funding, knowledge and skills.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, she expressed hope that China will continue to share experiences and strengthen cooperation with more countries, including African countries, to promote the continuous progress of the global women's cause.
EMPOWERING WORKERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
In late September, more than 40 women holding official positions in Pakistan and the Central African Republic visited China to participate in capacity-building workshops organized by the newly established Global Hub for Women's Digital Empowerment.
In cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Yiwu, they studied Chinese grassroots governance, examples of women's entrepreneurship, digital villages, and cross-border e-commerce. This visit allowed them to gain firsthand insight into how China is using digital technologies to empower women, fostering their self-development and social contribution.
To deepen cooperation on building women's capacity in developing countries, China has launched more than 100 training projects targeting women and children in developing countries since 2018, training nearly 4,000 professionals in women's empowerment.
China has also established a global training base for cooperation and exchanges for women's development, developing tailored women's empowerment programs for developing countries. Joint training and exchange centers have been established in partnership with 15 countries. Through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, China is implementing women-focused projects in over 20 countries, with a total funding of over $40 million.
For former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, one of China's most impressive recent achievements is how Chinese women have "ridden the wave" of the digital economy.
"We know full well that this is the economy of the future," noted I. Bokova. "If we want to support women's empowerment, we must help them master digital skills so they can flexibly and fully participate in the developing digital economy. This is exactly what China is doing today."
According to Monica Monteiro, Chair of the Brazilian Chapter of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, while women in developing countries still face certain barriers, digitalization and the knowledge economy are creating new opportunities and opening up new avenues for women's development.
She noted that China has made remarkable progress in promoting women's employment and entrepreneurship in the digital technology sector, providing valuable guidance and examples for countries in the Global South. –0–
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