BEIRUT, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese University said on Tuesday that it will launch a master's program in Chinese studies, the first of its kind in the Arab world.
The program will be conducted by the Center of Lebanese Legal, Administrative and Political Studies at the university, said Ahmad Malli, the center's director.
"We will invite professors from China and all over the world to participate in this program which will turn Lebanon into a regional hub for Chinese studies," said Malli.
His remarks came during a seminar held at the Lebanese University to discuss the achievements that have been made under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.
Camille Habib, dean of legal and political studies faculty at the Lebanese University, said the aim of this new master's program is to activate the exchange of scientific expertise between Lebanese and Chinese universities.
"We are very much aware of the importance of China in the development activities in the Arab world, especially in Lebanon," he told Xinhua on the sidelines of the event.
The master's program is composed of seven courses and a thesis, he added.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said the cooperation between China and member countries of the Belt and Road Initiative is successful at different political, economic, social and cultural levels under the framework of the initiative.
"In 2017, 300,000 students from member countries in the initiative came to China and the number of tourists from these countries is expected to reach 85 million in 2020 while their spending will stand at 110 U.S. billion dollars," Wang said.
