BEIJING, Oct. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CGTN published an article on China's efforts to empower women through digital technologies. Drawing on Peng Liyuan's remarks at the 2026 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education award ceremony on Friday, the article highlights China's efforts to advance women's digital skills, promote gender equality and expand international cooperation to bridge the gender digital divide.
"At that moment, I realized I had to master this technology," said Saba Aliyeva, a participant from Azerbaijan, after trying AI photo editing for the first time during a training program in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, in June 2026.
She was among 51 women from 10 countries who took part in two training programs on AI, digital entrepreneurship and technology empowerment, organized to help women from developing countries build skills for the digital age.
Their experience reflects China's ongoing efforts to turn digital technologies into practical opportunities for women, a vision also underscored by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education.
In a video address to the 2026 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education award ceremony on Friday, Peng called on the international community to strengthen vocational education and training for women and expand digital and intelligent education, enabling them to use and benefit from these technologies.
She noted that China's use of AI to improve education quality had helped advance gender equality in education and women's all-round development, offering useful experience for countries in the Global South.
The demand for such empowerment is substantial. Research by the International Finance Corporation found that greater female participation in e-commerce markets in Africa and Southeast Asia could generate over $300 billion in revenue between 2025 and 2030.
China is expanding women's digital skills through national initiatives on digital literacy and rural development, including training programs and support for women-led e-commerce businesses. In 2024, 14,147 women obtained vocational skills certificates as AI trainers, accounting for 42.3% of the annual total. Women also account for more than half of entrepreneurs in China's internet sector and about one-third of workers in emerging fields such as digital trade, e-commerce and livestreaming.
China is also sharing its experience internationally. Established in July 2025, the Global Exchange and Cooperation Center for Digital Empowerment of Women reflects the goals outlined by President Xi in a congratulatory letter to the 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Forum on Women, in which he expressed China's willingness to work with all parties to promote scientific and technological innovation and women's development through digital empowerment.
Beyond skills training, China advocates for inclusive digital governance. Through its Global AI Governance Initiative, launched at the third Belt and Road Forum, China called for eliminating gender bias in AI development. Furthermore, China promoted the resolution on "Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-building of Artificial Intelligence," adopted at the UN General Assembly, to improve digital inclusion and promote gender equality.
As Peng said on Friday, education for girls and women sows the seeds of hope, nurtures dreams and reaps happiness. By combining practical skills training with international exchanges and cooperation, China is contributing to efforts to ensure that more women can use digital technologies, participate in the digital economy and benefit from the digital transformation.
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