Women work toward change

A1.A good investment manager needs to be an independent thinker, and better yet to be a contrarian thinker. He or she also needs to be strong minded, not moved by greed and swayed by fear. I don’t think there is definite difference in the above matters between genders. As a successful investment manager or an entrepreneur, you need to find your own principle and then stick to your principle. Meanwhile, you should possess good communication skills. Female leaders have an advantage in these respects. With the rapid development of technology, women should play a bigger role as mental strength will become more important than physical strength in modern society.

A2.I agree with “Lean In”, which means women need to take a step bravely. To be stronger, women don’t need act like men. As a Chinese saying goes, softness can overcome the hardest. The characteristic of a person with a successful career is perseverance, when women meet difficulties, they have a great tenacity and go through the hard times. A stern look and firm face could let you look very powerful, but doesn’t mean you are really strong.

A3.It is perfectly OK to be a stay-at-home mom. We should make the most appropriate choice based on our family situation and working conditions. With the advancement of the internet and artificial intelligence, people can get in the workforce and get out of the workforce, and then come back again. Even though women have looked after children for several years, they can always return as long as they are healthy. I support this kind of mom.

A4. The status of Chinese women is relatively high. They have a big influence in society and family. Education is important for enhancing Chinese women’s status. If they get better education and training, they could obtain more financial independence. Moreover, people’s traditional perspective should be changed. The enhancement of women’s status is related to people’s perspectives. If people think women shouldn’t do things, such as pursuing a career, women will face many obstacles. Third, women should change their own perception and think independently.

"The status of Chinese women is relatively high. They have a big influence in society and family. Education is important for enhancing Chinese women's status. If they get better education and training, they could obtain more financial independence. Moreover, people's traditional perspective should be changed. The enhancement of women's status is related to people's perspectives. If people think women shouldn't do things, such as pursuing a career, women will face many obstacles."

Having witnessed great reforms and innovations in China's financial market in the past 30 years, Zhao Haiying, chief risk officer of China Investment Corp and board director of China International Capital Co Ltd, has her own understanding of risk management and investment.

"As a chief risk officer, you need to be able to think independently and be mentally strong and sharp-eyed," said Zhao, who is a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Having gained a bachelor's degree in engineering from Tianjin University in 1984, Zhao received a doctoral degree in economics in 1992 from the University of Maryland in the United States.

"I wanted to make more contributions to the motherland, so I came back," Zhao said, adding that the rapid growth of China's economy has created many opportunities.

She once was deputy director of securities issuance supervision at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, participating in and witnessing major reforms in the country's initial public offerings sector.

While on the board of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, she also took part in the bank's shareholding reform and listing matters. "These are the epitome of great changes in China's financial industry," she said.

In her proposal to the CPPCC National Committee, Zhao suggested introducing a Chinese depositary receipt, which can be traded on the country's stock exchanges, to attract or retain technology and innovative enterprises in the home market.

This can promote supply-side reform in the capital market and give Chinese investors access to companies with good growth, she said.

"At present, the structure of investors is not diversified, the proportion of institutional investors is relatively small, and long-term institutional investors are insufficient, which may lead to speculation and distortion of the market's function in equity pricing and capital resource allocation," Zhao said.

The move would help domestic investors learn about high-tech innovative companies gradually, and benefit the development of institutional investors and improvement in the capital market, she added.