Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), and Vice-Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, met a Singaporean delegation in Beijing on October 27.

The delegation was headed by Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Development and Chairperson of the People's Action Party (PAP) Women's Wing (WW), and Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communications and Information and Chairperson of Young PAP (YP, the Youth Wing of the People's Action Party).

Huang said President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong jointly announced in March this year to upgrade the China-Singapore relationship to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership, charting the way forward for the high-level development of bilateral relations. Women's exchanges between China and Singapore represent an important component of the friendship between the two peoples. The ACWF is willing to continue and enhance experience sharing with sisters from Singapore, make joint efforts to advance gender equality and women's all-round development and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Huang outlined to the Singaporean delegates the 13th National Women's Congress of China, which was held in Beijing in October. She said Xi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the opening of the congress, showing the great importance Xi attaches to the cause of women and his cordial care for hundreds of millions of women across China. The speech on behalf of the CPC Central Committee (delivered at the opening) has injected strong impetus into ACWF's work.

Huang also highlighted the achievements Chinese women have made in health, education, the economy, and their participation in decision-making and management and introduced ACWF's major work. She noted the Spring Bud Project, an initiative launched by the ACWF, was awarded the 2023 UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Prize for Girls' and Women's Education. Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi, is a Special Envoy for the Spring Bud Project to Promote Girls' Education in China and has made outstanding contributions to promoting a more equitable, inclusive and quality education for girls and women.

Members of the Singaporean delegation spoke highly of Chinese women's development and progress. They expressed their willingness to deepen communications and cooperation with the ACWF, enhance mutual learning, and give play to the role of women, especially of young women, for the advancement of people's friendship between Singapore and China.

Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and Peter Tan, Ambassador of Singapore to China, attended.

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