China honored hundreds of women and 1,000 work units and groups in a ceremony on Monday, marking the upcoming International Women's Day. A senior official called on them to contribute to the nation's development goals for the next five years.

State Councilor Shen Yiqin, who also serves as president of the All-China Women's Federation, addressed the ceremony in Beijing, extending greetings to women nationwide and congratulating the awardees.

The event awarded nine National March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetters — the highest honor presented by the All-China Women's Federation to recognize the country's outstanding women. The award aims to promote female role models who are strong, confident, independent, courageous, dedicated to their work, and highly innovative. It also awarded 598 National March 8 Red-Banner holders, 400 National March 8 Red-Banner Collective groups, and 600 National Women's Civilized Posts.

Shen said the year 2026 marked the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), a blueprint for the world's second-largest economy through 2030. She encouraged women to step up and play a bigger role in driving the country's high-quality development during the period. She also stressed the importance of fostering positive values within their families, strengthening the family as the basic building block of society.

On the global stage, Shen urged women to take part in international exchanges and play a role in global governance. She said they should help build on the outcomes of the Global Summit of Women held in Beijing in October and offer Chinese insights and solutions to advance women's rights and contribute to human progress worldwide.

Recipients of the awards who spoke at the ceremony discussed topics including promoting high-quality development of the marine economy and leveraging professional expertise for the nation's rural vitalization strategy. The ceremony was attended by representatives of awardees and women from various sectors in the capital.