BEIJING: Beijing will host the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women from Monday to Tuesday, an event that will provide new momentum to global gender equality and women’s development.
The high-level international meeting was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote address.
Xi has consistently emphasized women’s advancement as a key part of his leadership vision. He has encouraged women to pursue their dreams, called for greater respect for women across society, and appealed to world leaders to join hands in promoting women’s empowerment.
In line with this agenda, China has made women’s development a national priority — its five-year plans include sections on women’s and children’s welfare and the government regularly issues National Programs for Women’s Development that outline concrete goals and strategies.
This emphasis echoes the Communist Party of China’s decades-old slogan on women’s liberation — “women hold up half the sky.” That conviction has long guided efforts to expand women’s roles in public life, the workforce and education, ensuring they share equally in shaping China’s future.
Today, the representation of women among national lawmakers, political advisors and delegates to the CPC National Congress have all hit record highs.
Their rising political and social presence mirrors a broader trend in the workforce, particularly in science and technology. Women now make up around 43 percent of China’s employed population and 45.8 percent of scientific and technical professionals.
Education tells a similar story. In 2024, women represented 50.76 percent of all higher education students in China, including 50.01 percent of graduate students.
Alongside expanding opportunities, China has strengthened legal protection for women through a framework of over 100 laws and regulations related to their rights and interests.
Women’s health has notably improved. China now ranks among the top middle- and high-income countries globally in terms of key maternal and child health indicators and is recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the world’s top 10 high-performing countries in these fields.
Across China, women’s opportunities for prosperity are steadily growing. Targeted policies continue to support women from rural or low-income backgrounds, helping them secure employment, start businesses, and boost their incomes.
“As the Chinese people pursue a better life, every Chinese woman has the opportunity to excel in life and make her dreams come true,” Xi said.
On the eve of International Children’s Day in 2023, a 12-year-old girl in Bangladesh, Alifa Chin, received an unusual gift — a reply letter from Xi. –Agencies
In his message, Xi encouraged the girl to pursue her dreams and help keep alive the friendship between China and Bangladesh.
This friendship has personal significance for Chin. Her mother suffered life-threatening complications when giving birth to Chin. Female military doctors serving aboard the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark, then visiting Bangladesh, stepped in to save both mother and child.
Her father expressed his gratitude by naming his newborn daughter Chin — taken from the Bengali word for China. Inspired by the doctors who saved her, Chin hoped to study medicine in China, and to save more people in the future.
China’s role in supporting women’s development worldwide has been long-standing and influential. The grand gathering in Beijing in 1995 adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — which left a profound mark on the global women’s movement.
In 2015 and 2020, marking the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the Beijing conference, respectively, Xi attended global gatherings focused on women’s empowerment, where he outlined China’s proposals and vision for women’s progress worldwide.
At the upcoming meeting in Beijing, China will once again be at the heart of this conversation. The 2025 gathering is aimed at reviving the spirit of the 1995 conference and injecting fresh momentum into the global push for gender equality and the full development of women.
“Let us work hand in hand and move faster to build a better world for women and for all,” Xi once said, capturing the ambition behind these efforts.
