By Mae Thiwari
June 29, 2021 – A Memorandum of Agreement between Beijing Normal University (BNU) and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) was signed today to establish “The Joint AIT-BNU Belt and Road Center”. This Center will be jointly operated and managed by the AIT Belt and Road Research Center and the Belt and Road School of BNU under the governance of its Board of Directors.
The two institutions are expected to broaden their cooperation in academic and research-related activities through the establishment of the Joint AIT-BNU Belt and Road Center.
“The establishment of the Joint Belt and Road Center with Beijing Normal University will promote our work inside China more broadly,” said AIT President Eden Woon.
The AIT-BNU Joint Belt and Road Center aims at better serving China and the ASEAN Belt and Road countries and their entrepreneurs. It will facilitate more active participation in the Belt and Road development, so that its participants can achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. Through closer cooperation, the center plans to organize various activities including the "China – ASEAN Belt and Road High-Level Forum".
Beijing Normal University inaugurated the Belt and Road School in 2018, offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. The school is dedicated to conducting research and cultivating professionals for the Belt and Road Initiative.
Asian Institute of Technology inaugurated the Belt and Road Research Center in 2019 to incorporate regional research resources and to promote diversified cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.