A school dedicated to conducting research and cultivating professionals for the Belt and Road Initiative was inaugurated at Beijing Normal University (BNU) on Wednesday.

 The Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University is inaugurated on Sept. 26, 2018. [Photo by Guo Xiaohong/China.org.cn]

The Belt and Road School will integrate BNU' intellectual resources and research capacity in its specialist disciplines such as education, literature, and history to offer advice on the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Wang Shoujun, vice president of BNU at the opening ceremony.

The school will offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs to cultivate much-needed talent for the initiative, said Wang, adding that various events to promote exchanges and deepen understanding between the peoples along the Belt and Road will also be organized.

Cheng Jianping, secretary of the Communist Party of China BNU Committee said that over the past five years, BNU has actively engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative through such efforts as admitting students from countries along the Belt and Road, compiling literature on ancient civilizations along the routes, and setting up think tanks focused on major issues related to the initiative.

Lin Yifu, former chief economist of the World Bank, and Mo Yan, Nobel laureate in literature delivered keynote speeches at the ceremony.

Heads of international organizations and former state leaders including Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese Prime Minister, Harinder Kohli, president of the Emerging Markets Forum, and Boris Tadic, former president of Serbia congratulated via letters or videos the establishment of the school.

 Wang Shoujun, vice president of Beijing Normal University, speaks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road School on Sept. 26, 2018. [Photo courtesy of Beijing Normal University]

 Cheng Jianping, secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Normal University Committee, speaks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road School on Sept. 26, 2018. [Photo by Guo Xiaohong/China.org.cn]

 Lin Yifu, former chief economist of the World Bank, speaks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University on Sept. 26, 2018. [Photo by Zhang Liying/ China.org.cn]

Mo Yan, Nobel laureate in literature, speaks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University on Sept. 26, 2018. [Photo by Guo Xiaohong/China.org.cn]