Jiangsu province in East China has been actively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative, establishing a number of platforms for cultural exchange and cooperation between countries involved.
Since 2020, Jiangsu has been hosting the Belt and Road Youth Sport Exchange Week, and this year's event in May attracted nearly 300 participants from 48 countries. "Sports bring us closer and help us make friends from different countries and regions," said a Pakistani student from Nanjing Medical University.
To strengthen cooperation with African countries, Jiangsu universities have launched 13 overseas educational programs. They've also opened classes on Chinese culture and international educational exchanges in South Africa and established two Confucius Institutes at the University of Johannesburg and Egerton University in Kenya.
Jiangsu has also actively cooperated with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). For example, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine founded a base for traditional Chinese medicine training for ASEAN, and Hohai University established the Lancang-Mekong Academy to promote cooperation in education, water resources, and talent development with countries along the Mekong River. The initiative has benefited over 400 students from the region over the past five years.
Jiangsu has become a preferred destination to pursue higher education for students from BRI countries. Since 2016, Jiangsu has attracted nearly 190,400 students from these nations, accounting for about 80 percent of all international students in the province.
Moreover, numerous universities in the province, in collaboration with overseas Chinese businesses, have founded nearly 70 educational institutions and programs focusing on e-commerce, electromechanical integration technology, electrical automation, and Chinese language and literature in BRI countries. These efforts have trained over 110,000 local talents, contributing to increased incomes and improved living standards for the local people.
