Wives work to boost cultural exchanges among economies

Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, fifth right, hosted the wives of other APEC officials on a visit to the Summer Palace on the sidelines of the meeting. They are pictured on the bank of Kunming Lake in the largest and best preserved imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]

As the leaders of the 21 APEC member economies were busy charting the future of Asia-Pacific development at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing, their wives played their part in intertwining cultural connections for a deeper understanding of their countries and people.[Special coverage]

Peng Liyuan, the wife of President Xi Jinping, invited the leaders' wives to a tour of the Summer Palace on Tuesday.

They took a boat tour on Kunming Lake in the former imperial resort, which is now a World Heritage Site listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

They also watched dancing and Peking Opera performances and visited a folk art exhibition.

On Monday, Peng called for a more just, tolerant and sustainable environment for the development of disabled people.

Much more understanding, respect and care should be given to this group to make sure it is entitled to the fruits of social and economic development, which is the responsibility of all of society, she said.

Peng made the remarks while attending a meeting, together with the APEC leaders' wives that focused on development issues concerning disabled people.

She accompanied the guests on a visit to an exhibition of the artwork of Chinese people with disabilities. They played puzzle games with a group of hearing-impaired children.

State Councilor Wang Yong said China is willing to work with other countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific region to help disabled people better participate in and reap the benefits of regional cooperation.

At the event, a videotaped speech by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was shown. Ban urged more Asia-Pacific economies to include the development of disabled people in their over-all development strategies.

Peng invited the wives to the Capital Museum on Sunday. Guests joined her in visiting the museum's exhibitions of Beijing history, ancient Chinese porcelain, traditional Chinese culture and folk arts. The guests also chatted with the museum's staff members.