The APEC Women and the Economy Forum (WEF) was held in Shanghai on May 15. Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin, also President of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), addressed the opening ceremony.
Shen said that Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development of women's cause. Xi attended the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women (GLMW) held in Beijing in October 2025, and delivered a keynote address, marking a new milestone in the history of the international women's movement, Shen noted.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has always given priority to the advancement of gender equality in various aspects of cooperation. Since the establishment of WEF more than a decade ago, APEC has built an important platform for women in the Asia-Pacific region to break barriers and to share growth opportunities, Shen said.
Under the guiding principle of Xi's keynote address at GLMW, APEC economies need to adhere to the original aspiration of Asia-Pacific cooperation, promote women's economic empowerment, and advance common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, Shen stressed. With stronger determination and more concrete actions, more pragmatic achievements ought to be made in creating an enabling environment for women's growth and development, in fostering high-quality development of women's cause, in safeguarding women's rights and interests, and in promoting Asia-Pacific women's cooperation. Further, APEC economies should remain committed to open regionalism, provide opportunities for education, training and technological empowerment to create conditions for women's economic empowerment, and advance all-round development of women's cause in the Asia-Pacific region, Shen added.
Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, chaired the forum and delivered a speech as head of the Chinese delegation. Huang outlined China's practices of and contributions to advancing women's development and cooperation in the region. Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, delivered welcome remarks. Chen Xu, Chair of the 2026 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting, laid out the priorities of APEC "China Year." Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, also spoke during the opening ceremony.
The WEF was the first ministerial-level gathering of APEC "China Year," and more than 200 delegates, from government departments of APEC economies, the business community, academia, the APEC Secretariat and related organizations, attended the forum. The forum released the 2026 APEC Women and the Economy Forum Chair's Statement.
While in Shanghai, Shen also visited enterprises, sub-district service centers for women, children and families, and innovative eco-communities. Through these field visits, Shen learned about efforts to develop grassroots-level women's federations, protect women and children's rights and interests, and support women in domestic service sector.
Photos by Yang Rui
(Source: Xinhua/Translated by Women of China)
Editor: Ye Shan
