Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on the afternoon of Oct. 30 held a talk with the new leadership of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and delivered an important speech. Xi stressed the need for all the people to unite and work hard together in the building of a strong nation and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, and that women play an irreplaceable role. He stressed following a socialist path with Chinese characteristics for women's development, encouraging women to have strong sense of self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-improvement, embark on a new journey and make achievements in the new era, and contribute their wisdom and strength in the Chinese path to modernization.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the event.

Xi noted that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has comprehensively strengthened its leadership over women's work, promoted the reform of women's federations, continuously improved the rule of law for safeguarding women's rights and interests, continuously optimized the environment for women's development, and made historic achievements in women's cause. Over the past five years, women's federations at all levels have earnestly implemented the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, performed their duties of leading, serving and connecting with women, and mobilized them to work hard on promoting high-quality development, achieving a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, fighting poverty, responding to the COVID-19 epidemic, making scientific and technological innovation, and realizing rural revitalization. They have innovatively advanced family ties, values and traditions, attentively provided services for the protection of women's rights and caring of women, continued to deepen the reform of women's federations, enhanced their political consciousness, their advanced nature and their ability to represent women, and further played their role as a bridge between the Party and women. The Party Central Committee fully affirms the work of women's federations, and has high expectations of the new leadership of the ACWF.

Xi stresses that women's federations must follow the right political direction and work with one heart and one mind with the CPC in their work and women's development. The ACWF was urged to adhere to the overall leadership of the Party, uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and keep in alignment with the CPC Central Committee. The federation is required to be politically sober-minded and take firm political stand so as to have clear understanding about the political nature of women's development and political positioning of the federation. The federation was urged to strengthen political guidance of women, use the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge cohesion and souls, and guide women to unswervingly follow the Party.

Xi urged the ACWF to identify the right focus of its work and translate the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee into specific tasks for its work when implementing the strategic decisions made at the 20th CPC National Congress. Xi stressed the need to motivate women to give play to their own strengths and roles in practicing the new development philosophy, building a new development paradigm, promoting high-quality development, achieving self-reliance and strength in science and technology at a high level, and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization.

Xi emphasized that harmonious family ties, good family education, and proper family values are essential for the healthy growth of children and the sound development of a society. Success in women's work promotes not only the development of women themselves but also the harmony of families and society, and the development and progress of the country and nation. Given the importance of family virtues, we should encourage women to play a unique role in promoting traditional Chinese virtues and sound family values, and foster family ethics. Xi urged the federation to actively cultivate a new perception of marriage and childbearing, give better guidance to young people in their understanding of marriage, childbirth, and family, improve and implement policies supporting childbirth, improve the overall quality of population, and actively respond to population aging.

Xi noted that protecting the legal rights and interests of women and children, promoting gender equality and the comprehensive development of women and children are all important aspects of Chinese modernization. Women's federations at all levels should take proactive actions to solve the prominent problems that negatively affect or violate the lawful rights and interests of women and children. It is imperative to care for and support women in difficulty such as the low-income, senior or disabled ones, and work with relevant departments to support and care for displaced and left-behind children. Safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of women and children should be done in a regular manner and those in charge in the primary level should be held accountable.

Xi stressed that women's federations serve as a bridge between the Party and the government and women. It is imperative to continuously advance reform of women's federations with a view to strengthening their political consciousness, advanced nature and representativeness of women. It is also essential to strengthen the Party building throughout all the work of women's federations with a focus on shoring up weak links, laying foundations and boosting vitality.

It is essential to conduct fact-finding missions to find out what women at grassroots are thinking about and what they are expecting as well as what is urgently needed for women's work at the grassroots when development at grassroots needs to be an important focus of work. Work needs to be done to allocate more resources and services to the grassroots levels. Greater efforts were urged to establish women's federations in new economic and social organizations as well as new employment groups to realize the federation's reach to all organizations as it should, fully implement the online mass line and consolidate women's popular base for the Party's leadership. Efforts must be made to strengthen the building of a team of highly competent and professional officials for women's federations, constantly boost the federation's capacity to promote the high-quality development of women's cause, provide services for women, and prevent and defuse risks concerning women issues.

Xi pointed out that Party committees at all levels must adhere to the principle that women's work is under the CPC's leadership. Party committees are required to implement the basic national policy of gender equality, strengthen their leadership over women's federations, timely study and solve important problems in the work of women's federations, and provide support and create conditions for their work. Working Committees on Children and Women under governments at all levels should effectively play their roles, strengthen organization, coordination, guidance and supervision, and implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee on the development of women and children.

On behalf of the new leadership of the ACWF, Shen Yiqin, chairwoman of the federation, reported on the relevant situation of the 13th National Women's Congress and the plans for the ACWF's work in the near future. Huang Xiaowei, Meng Man and Wang Yaping, vice chairwomen of the federation, made speeches.

Shi Taifeng, Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Chen Wenqing and Liu Jinguo attended the event.

(Liu Yisha)