China's Annual Political Session: More female deputies engaging in politics

World
Europe

02:02

The National People's Congress is in full swing in Beijing with thousands of deputies deliberating China's future. And that future is younger and more female. CGTN's Nathan King reports.

NATHAN KING BEIJING "So here at the NPC you are actually noticing a change, more younger and more female deputies, and we are going to spend some time with this female deputy Xu Ping who is from Sichuan.Thank you."

It's hard to keep up with this 24-year old from Qingchuan county.

Quick on her feet and full of ideas for China's future.

XU PING NPC DEPUTY "I think the best character of this young generation is that we are full of youth, spirit and creativity. We see things from different angles and we generate diverse thoughts. So I believe the future is there for us so long as we work hard."

Barely a teenager when the Wenchuan earthquake struck, Xu turned tragedy into triumph, setting out on a mission.

She helped lift women and children out of poverty.

Her dedication and mission has made her one of the youngest deputies here.

XU PING NPC DEPUTY "The reason I am here is that I pay a lot of attention to the rights of women and children. I want to use my own power and strength to solve more problems for them. I think we women have made a lot of progress compared to in previous years. We can speak more for ourselves. I believe it is a reflection of the development of our society."

The NPC deputies are still overwhelmingly male and older, but things are changing.

The proportion of female deputies has increased from around 20% to nearly 25% in the last 10 years. And when it comes to those born after 1990 -18 are female 10 are male.

More work needs to be done but judging by Xu Ping's energy and enthusiasm, the NPC 's of the future will continue to trend younger and more female.

Nathan King, CGTN, Beijing.