A screenshot of the online Chinese Bridge "Belt and Road" International Youth Economic and Trade Forum. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]

Shandong University held the Chinese Bridge "Belt and Road" International Youth Economic and Trade Forum on April 2, which attracted around 80 attendees, including senior management personnel from countries of the Belt and Road Initiative and SDU's Chinese and foreign students and faculty.

The forum saw 11 young students and economic and trade practitioners from seven countries, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Nigeria, discussing in Chinese the integrated development of the Belt and Road construction in their hometowns, involving fields such as finance, language education, basic infrastructure, trade in services, and the coronavirus pandemic.

They used specific data and real-life examples to demonstrate the Belt and Road Initiative's impact on their countries.

For example, Chatchaya Techanukul from Thailand said that under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative, the cross-border e-commerce offers a convenient channel for the sales of Thailand produced products.

Udeogu Loveth Chinenye from Nigeria, who was a construction worker on the Chinese-built Lagos-Ibadan Railway in Nigeria, said that the builders, engineers, and engineering management personnel all received professional skills, trainings and enhancement, which will benefit them for life.

Ma Xiaole, the president of SDU's College of International Education, said that SDU's opening of the Business Chinese Course meets the social needs of majors with Chinese-learning demand.

Zhang Yan, director of the Department of International Economics and Trade, said that the Business Chinese Course project made fruitful achievements in improving students' Chinese language abilities, helping them learn their majors better, and promoting Chinese ideas to the world.