China takes over the chairmanship of BRICS in 2022. Ms. Zhao Haiying, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of CIC, Chairperson of the Chinese Chapter of the BRICS Woman Business Alliance (WBA) will lead the alliance throughout the year. On February 25, Ms. Zhao Haiying chaired the 1st WBA meeting for 2022 which was held virtually and attended by Chairs and Chapter Members of all member countries.

Ms. Zhao Haiying observed that China will hold the 14th BRICS Summit and more than 100 other events this year. The WBA is a cooperation mechanism which was established under the aegis of BRICS state leaders and serves as a key platform for women in BRICS countries to be deeply involved in BRICS business cooperation. We should fully leverage it to unite women in BRICS countries and drive their development. With our joint efforts, the WBA will achieve fruitful outcomes to add new momentum to the development of the BRICS mechanism and make new contributions to the BRICS Summit.

Ms. Zhao Haiying elaborated on WBA’s work plans and initiatives for 2022. Echoing the theme of this year’s BRICS — "forming a high-quality partnership to jointly create a new era of global development”, the Chinese Chapter will continue to hold the BRICS Women Innovation Contest and the BRICS Women's Leadership Forum, and produce the BRICS Women's Development Report and the Annual Report to be submitted to BRICS state leaders. Ms. Zhao Haiying urged all members to actively participate in WBA’s activities and grace the second golden decade of BRICS. Chairs of other member countries stated that they will wholeheartedly support China's role as the chair, actively participate in cooperation in all fields, and work together to make new achievements.

The WBA, established in 2020, aims to strengthen women’s economic participation and empowerment by unlocking business opportunities for women entrepreneurs in five BRICS countries. It consists of 25 outstanding female entrepreneurs, with one secretariat for each member country and 5 joint working groups organized under it. The joint working groups focus on areas of cooperation including inclusive economy, innovative development, healthcare, food security & environmental safety, and creative industries & tourism.