Beijing Holds Female Leaders' Workshop on Silk Road Economic Belt

A total of 19 women leaders from Russia, Central Asia and the outer Caucasus attended a workshop with the theme of "Harnessing Women's Power to Build the Silk Road Economic Belt" in Beijing on September 15.

From nine countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the women leaders are representatives of the governing parties and women's institutions.

At the opening ceremony of the workshop, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) Meng Xiaosi said that women's development faces numerous opportunities and challenges in terms of the ongoing development globalization and information technology and ascendant regional cooperation, so that women from China, Russia, Central Asia and the outer Caucasus should enhance communications and join hands to contribute to economic and social development and promote mutual friendship between each country.

The workshop was jointly sponsored by the International Department of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the ACWF. During the workshop, the representatives will talk about gender equality, economic and social development, communications between each country, traditional culture and more and exchange their opinions.

After the workshop, the representatives will also go to Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province to assess women's development and women's work there.

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of the Silk Road economic belt during his visit to Central Asia in September 2013. The aim of the belt is to facilitate trade and investment, improve traffic connectivity, as well as trade and monetary cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated by Women of China)