Renmin University of China recently announced the establishment of first Silk Road School, in order to attract students worldwide to actively support the Belt and Road Initiative.

The school plans to enroll 50 to 100 students from around the globe in September. All students will be offered comprehensive scholarships covering full tuition, accommodation subsidy, medical insurance and necessary living allowance for the duration of the program.

The school will offer a master’s program in Contemporary Chinese Studies. The program will cover Chinese politics, economy, culture and law and will offer various optional courses, including Chinese language, internet and big data, Belt and Road Initiative seminars.

Liu Wei, president of the university, said that the establishment of the Silk Road School is not only an effective way to improve the internationalization of education and promote the construction of “Double First-Class” Project (world-class universities and first-class disciplines), but also a response to meet China's strategic and development needs in higher education.

Liu said after several years of preparation, the program leverages the university's educational platform, international operational experience and high-level think tank resources to train talents for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative that have a passion for Chinese culture, understand profoundly the path, model and experience of China’s development.

Based in Suzhou Campus, Silk Road School is a non-independent secondary school affiliated to the Renmin University of China. It is jointly run by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies think tank, School of International Studies, and Suzhou Campus of Renmin University of China.

The school will only enroll foreign citizens under the age of 45, with a special requirement for having interest in the Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese culture.

Renmin University of China also signed a cooperation agreement with HNA Group. The two sides announced the establishment of the “HNA Education Fund of Renmin University of China” to support the construction of the Silk Road school and to jointly train international high-end talents for countries and regions for the Belt and Road Initiative.