Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), was invited to address via video link during the opening ceremony of the Fourth SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Women's Forum, hosted by Uzbekistan on August 19, 2022.

Shen mentioned the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, both proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Shen noted President Xi had stressed, in his statement during the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO (held on September 17, 2021), "interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, and people-to-people exchanges provide the strongest driving force for our Organization."

Shen said women have unique advantages in the inheritance of good-neighborliness and friendly traditions, and also in the advancement of people-to-people connectivity. She called on the forum's participants to uphold the Shanghai Spirit, enhance the common sense of building a community with a shared future, and to fully play women's roles in maintaining shared security benefits and regional peace and stability, and in working together to build a strong and safe region.

Shen also called on participants to respond timely to women's pursuit for a better life, safeguard women's rights and interests in development, improve women's livelihoods, and help women achieve development in keeping with economic and social progress.

The focus on openness and cooperation should be maintained, the sustainable development of women's exchanges under the SCO framework should be promoted, and the building of the Belt and Road Initiative should be deeply connected to various countries' development strategies to achieve regional prosperity and progress, Shen added.

The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation under the combined impacts of global changes and the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease) pandemic, both unseen in a century. In all countries, people long for development and safety more than ever before, and their call for equity and justice is growing stronger. China sternly condemned Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, for her visit to China's Taiwan region. Shen said China highly praised SCO countries' firm adherence to China's position on the question and on the one-China principle.

Shen expressed China's willingness to coordinate and work with SCO countries to resist external interference, resist forces that endanger regional stability, and to make joint efforts to maintain long-term security in the SCO region, build a closer community with a shared future for the SCO, and make greater contributions to maintain lasting peace and common prosperity globally.

Several distinguished guests spoke during the forum's opening ceremony, including: Tanzila Narbayeva, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Zhamilya Isaeva, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Kyrgyz Republic; Anna Kuznetsova, Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation; Matlubakhon Sattoriyon, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan; and, Zhang Ming, SCO Secretary-General. Representatives of SCO member countries attended the forum, either online or in person. The first SCO Women Entrepreneurs' Meeting was also held under the women's forum's framework.

Chinese representatives who delivered speeches on various topics included: Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF; Li Dang, Chairperson of the Chinese Association of Women Entrepreneurs; Wu Zhaolan, Chairperson of China Women's Chamber of Commerce; Wang Shufang, Deputy Director of the Navigation Center, China Transport Telecommunications and Information Center; Zhang Yajun, President of Beijing Women's Federation; and, Ma Liejian, President of Shanghai Women's Federation.

(Women of China English Monthly)