At the Beijing Demonstration Center of Service for Persons with Disabilities, women from the "Beauty Workshops" carefully presented handwoven flower bouquets to Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Spain's Queen Letizia, who is accompanying King Felipe VI of Spain on his state visit to China.

The two ladies accepted the gifts with warm smiles and words of encouragement. The delicate bouquets - crafted with patience and skill - symbolized resilience, creativity and the blossoming of opportunities for people with disabilities in China.

Helping women and children with disabilities realize dreams

During the visit, Peng emphasized that the cause of helping persons with disabilities requires joint efforts and broad support from all sectors of society.

Across China, those dreams are taking shape. By fostering handicraft enterprises suited for flexible or home-based work and providing training, design support and online marketing channels, China's "Beauty Workshops" initiative helps women living with disability to gain financial independence and confidence. By the end of 2024, the initiative had already enabled more than 12,000 women to work from home and 3,300 to secure institutional employment, increasing their annual income by an average of 15,800 yuan ($2,220).

During the visit, Peng and Queen Letizia also visited children with disabilities who were undergoing rehabilitation training. In a warm and cordial atmosphere, the children with visual disabilities at the center sang a Chinese song, "Songs and Smiles," for the visiting guests.

In China, disabled children and youth are gaining skills and confidence through education. By the end of 2024, 12,500 students were enrolled in special education high schools, 26,900 in vocational programs and over 30,000 in higher education, including nearly 2,000 postgraduates, equipping them with the ability to participate fully in society.

Sharing the benefits of technology

While touring the center, Peng and Queen Letizia explored an exhibition on the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and viewed cutting-edge assistive technologies.

In recent years, new technologies have enriched the lives of persons with disabilities in China. More than 3,000 websites and mobile apps closely related to the daily lives of people with disabilities have been upgraded with accessibility features, covering high-frequency services such as news and online shopping, helping bridge the "digital divide."

Brain-computer interfaces allow precise control of prosthetics and wearable devices, Chinese speech-recognition systems help children with cerebral palsy communicate, and AI-assisted rehabilitation supports early intervention for children with autism.

Global cooperation

Peng also expressed the hope that China and Spain will enhance exchanges and cooperation to help realize the dreams of persons with disabilities.

China has worked with its international partners, including the EU, to organize conferences and forums, calling for the creation of international platforms for disability affairs, promoting joint research and technology exchange in rehabilitation and advancing the implementation of disability-related goals under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Especially through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has hosted three international events on disability affairs, strengthening cooperation with partner countries.

As of June, Chinese rehabilitation experts trained more than 300 prosthetics technicians and caregivers in Southeast Asia, donating hearing aids and assistive devices. Meanwhile, China has invited participants from Africa and Asia to domestic training programs, sharing skills and experiences – a practical embodiment of "teaching a man to fish."