Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), met Angeline Ndayishimiye, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, in Beijing on July 3. During her visit to China, Ndayishimiye attended the China-Africa Women's Forum held in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, on June 29.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has attached great importance to the development of women and children, as well as to women's work, Shen said. Under Xi's planning, arrangement and advancement, women's and children's undertakings in China have made historic progress. The 20th CPC National Congress drew a magnificent blueprint for advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, and the congress depicted a promising future for women's and children's all-round development, as well as for the happiness and well-being of families. Xi proposed, successively, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, to which all countries can adhere and work hand-in-hand to create a beautiful future, Shen added.

Under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the China-Burundi relationship has entered a new phase. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President, cares about orphans' healthy growth in Africa and supports Africa's fight against HIV/AIDS and its efforts to prevent epidemics, inpouring an important drive to advance China-Burundi and China-Africa's development of women and children's causes, Shen said.

Shen expressed China's willingness to work with Burundi to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries. To mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between China and Burundi, Shen said China will enhance women's exchanges and cooperation, promote implementation of "nine projects" in Burundi (raised during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in 2021), improve the well-being of China-Africa women and children, and enhance the building of a high-level community with a shared future for China and Africa.

Mrs Ndayishimiye extended cordial greetings and best wishes on behalf of herself and her husband, Burundi's President, to Xi and Peng. She spoke of the all-weather friendship and comprehensive partnership between Burundi and China. She expressed gratitude to the Chinese Government for its selfless help and support, especially for the anti-epidemic goods donated by Peng on behalf of Chinese Government.

Mrs Ndayishimiye marveled at the impressive achievements China has made in women and children's development and in family development, family education and family virtues, especially during the first decade of the new era. She hoped to learn from China's good practices on the enhancement of gender equality and women's all-round development, and she vowed to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China to create a more promising future for China-Burundi and China-Africa relations.

Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, attended the meeting. At ACWF's invitation, Mrs Ndayishimiye and her companions visited Hunan Province, South China's Shenzhen, and Beijing from June 26 to July 5.

(Source: Liaison Department of the All-China Women's Federation)