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 participants of China-South Asia Female Political Leaders Programme in Beijing on July 12. 

Twenty women ministers and members of parliament participated in the program, including Aishath Shiham, Minister of Social and Family Development, Maldives; Seetha Kumari Arambepola, State Minister of Health, Sri Lanka; Sushila Shrestha, Member of the Federal Parliament, Nepal, and; Syeda Maryam Gilani, Chief Operating Superintendent of Ministry of Railways, Pakistan.

Huang welcomed the participants to China for visit and exchanges. Huang said China and South Asian countries are each other's friendly neighbors and development partners, and also important members of the Global South.

Under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of the South Asian countries, both China and South Asia have accelerated development and revitalization, and have kept advancing Belt and Road cooperation, with outcomes benefiting the people of China and all South Asian countries. Women in China and South Asia have maintained friendly exchanges for long. They have contributed to the advancement of development of their countries and the enhancement of good-neighborly friendship, Huang said.

She expressed the willingness to work with women in South Asia to advocate the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, jointly build the Asian home, and foster the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Huang noted President Xi had attended the opening of the 13th National Women's Congress of China (in October 2023). Xi's discourses on the work related to women and children as well as the work of women's federations, and Xi's discourses on the importance of family, family education and virtues have provided the guiding principles for Chinese women's development to achieve historic progress.

Huang outlined ACWF's major projects, especially those involving scientific and technological innovation, rural revitalization, and women's entrepreneurship and employment. In particular, she mentioned the Spring Bud Project, which received the 2023 UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Prize for Girls' and Women's Education. She said the ACWF will unite and harness the strength of women from all walks of life to play their role in holding up "half the sky," to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, and to advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese modernization.

The participants spoke highly of China's economic and social progress, especially the achievements in women's development under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). They said they are willing to learn from China's practices in governance, women's empowerment and capacity building. They hoped to contribute more to the enhancement of women's leadership, gender equality and women's all-round development.

Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, Majintha Jayesinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, and Fazeel Najeeb, Ambassador of Maldives to China, attended.

This program, organized by the ACWF in collaboration with the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) from July 9 to 17, was the first high-level program since the Exchange and Training Base of Global Women's Development Cooperation was established at China Women's University in April.

During the visit, participants attended the Second High-level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development. They visited the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CIDCA, and the Museum of the Communist Party of China and the China National Museum of Women and Children, in Beijing.

As part of the program, participants also visited Nanjing and Suzhou, in East China's Jiangsu Province, to learn about programs related to women's entrepreneurship and employment, the construction of a beautiful countryside, and services to protect women's rights and interests. In Jiangsu, the participants learned about women's federations' work in new economic organizations, new social organizations and new occupation sectors.

Several of the participants provided feedback during a symposium at CIDCA headquarters in Beijing, on July 10.

Maryam Mariya, Minister of Higher Education, Labor and Skills Development, Maldives, said, "Our relations (China-Maldives relations) are built upon the shared values of friendship, equality and mutual respect. We deeply value our relations with China, and we appreciate China's continuous support toward social economic development and the livelihood of our people."

Said Arambepola of Sri Lanka: "As an emerging economy, China's dedication to sharing its development experiences and accelerating action for developing countries has significantly contributed to global common prosperity. I would like to thank China for all those initiatives, including the Global Development Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative, which are going forward with the success of women's participation."

Shrestha, Member of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, said the Chinese Government has always been an important partner of Nepal's, especially in terms of women's empowerment and rights protection. "I believe our future cooperation regarding women's empowerment will be an action of milestone significance."

Said Gilani: "Pakistan and China have very good relations. We look toward China when it comes to matters of concern, especially matters of concern of social importance — like gender equality. What Pakistan wants to learn from China is how the country has empowered women here and has helped them achieve their goals."

(Source: Women Voice)

Editor: Ye Shan