CGTN: China Expands Digital Skills Training For Women, Promotes Global Cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- China is expanding digital skills training and international cooperation to help women from developing countries participate in the digital economy and bridge the gender digital divide, according to an article by China Global Television Network (CGTN).

In a statement, CGTN said the efforts include two training programmes on artificial intelligence (AI), digital entrepreneurship and technology empowerment that brought together 51 women from 10 countries in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, in June 2026.

The initiatives align with remarks by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls’ and women’s education, who called for stronger vocational training and wider access to digital and intelligent education at the 2026 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education award ceremony.

Peng said China’s use of AI in education had helped improve education quality and advance gender equality, offering experience that could be shared with countries in the Global South.

The economic potential of greater digital participation by women is significant. Research by the International Finance Corporation estimated that increasing women’s participation in e-commerce markets in Africa and Southeast Asia could generate more than US$300 billion in revenue between 2025 and 2030. (US$1 = RM4.08)

In China, 14,147 women obtained vocational skills certificates as AI trainers in 2024, representing 42.3 per cent of the annual total, according to the article. 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 has also sought to expand international exchanges through the Global Exchange and Cooperation Center for Digital Empowerment of Women, established in July 2025.

On digital governance, China has advocated measures to address gender bias in AI development through its Global AI Governance Initiative and promoted a United Nations General Assembly resolution on international cooperation in AI capacity-building.

The initiatives aim to broaden women’s access to digital skills and opportunities while supporting their participation in the digital economy and the wider digital transformation.

-- BERNAMA