Beijing municipal government will set up scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students from Belt and Road countries to support their studies for up to 100 programs at universities in the capital by 2020, China News Service reported on Monday.

So far 32 programs at Beijing universities have received the support and have set a goal of attracting 502 students in the 2017-18 academic year to study a wide range of disciplines, including aeronautics, railway operation, architecture, law, Chinese medicine and finance.

To boost educational cooperation between China and Belt and Road countries, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality recently released a plan, the contents of which include setting up scholarships, establishing Belt and Road talent-nurturing bases and hosting education forums.

Quite a number of universities in the capital have started working with counterparts from Belt and Road countries to nurture talent and conduct research together, in the hope of providing intellectual support for the initiative.