Ulaanbaatar, March 7, 2025 /MONTSAME/. On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Mongolia Ms. Shen Minjuan has written an article on women’s empowerment and gender equality, which the Ambassador has kindly shared with MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency.

“For women around the world, every March holds special significance as we celebrate the festival of our own—International Women’s Day. This year is particularly meaningful—it marks the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30), which has been a widely discussed topic in global women’s circles since last year. The conference was a milestone in the history of global women’s development, helping more countries recognize that women’s rights are human rights and that gender equality is essential for social progress.

Over the past 30 years, China has made historic strides in advancing women's development. Within over two months at the beginning of this year, Chinese female athletes won more than half of the gold medals at the Asian Winter Games for China. A Gen Z female AI genius played a key role in the development of DeepSeek. Women like her now make up 45.8% of China’s workforce in scientific research. On February 24, China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang, spoke at the United Nations Human Rights Council’s panel discussion on women’s rights, sharing China’s vision and achievements in women’s high-quality development in the new era. As Liu Yang stood on the podium in Geneva, Wang Haoze, China’s third female astronaut and first female space engineer, is conducting research aboard China’s space station. As you read this article, female deputies and representatives are discussing important political agenda in China’s Two Sessions, in which women making up 26.54% of the National People's Congress and 22.4% of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, both record highs. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China has launched the National Program for Women's Development (2021-2030) and revised the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, establishing a comprehensive legal framework to safeguard women’s rights and ensuring strong protection at the fundamental level.

I have personally witnessed and benefited from the progress of women’s development in China. Thirty years ago, I was a volunteer at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Today, I have the honor of serving as China’s first female Ambassador to Mongolia. During my time here, I have felt the deep respect Mongolian society holds for female ambassadors and have witnessed the remarkable progress of Mongolian women. Female members in Mongolia’s State Great Hural account for a historic high of 25%. The country hosted the World Women’s Forum for the first time. Average life expectancy of women in Mongolia is almost 10 years longer than men, and their higher education enrollment registers a bigger rate than men. I have met so many outstanding women from all walks of life, whose “She Power” never fail to inspire me.

While the remarkable results shine bright, they shouldn’t overshadow significant inequality faced by women and girls in many parts of the world. Many continue to suffer from poverty and conflict, lacking equal access to education, employment, and basic rights and the gender gap in digital and technological fields remains wide. The full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action still has a long way to go. We must take action to bring real change to all women and girls and turn the vision of “leaving no one behind” into reality.

As Liu Yang said at the UN panel, “Gender has never been a barrier to progress.” Women will definitely make greater contributions to the progress of humanity. This year, China plans to host the Global Summit of Women, which is expected to put forward new initiatives to promote gender equality and serve as a crucial platform for building consensus and momentum. China stands ready to work with Mongolia and other countries to inject fresh energy into global women’s development at this new historical juncture.”