Initiative also seeks to connect different peoples and cultures

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is scheduled to be held in Beijing on May 14 and 15. As well as consolidating the international consensus for sustainable and inclusive development, the China-proposed initiative is forging stronger bonds among participating countries and promoting more mutual understanding between peoples with different cultural backgrounds.

Three years in the making, the initiative has expanded from its original design of being a way to create greater infrastructure connectivity and promote trade and investment, and it now embraces people-to-people and cultural exchanges to forge greater understanding and friendship.

China has signed agreements on cultural exchanges with many of the participating countries and carried out various bilateral cultural activities. It has also inked agreements with 24 countries involved in the initiative for mutual recognition of university degrees and other credentials.