The Mongolian Association for Chinese studies has been established to boost mutual understanding in areas such as translation, education, and more cultural communications, the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) announced at the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday.

Co-hosted by the BLCU, the Mongolian Embassy in China and other organizations, the establishment of the association will not only provide more convenience for Mongolian Sinologists when conducting their research, but will also to give chances for future doctorate students to be tutored by Sinologists from both Mongolia and China during their studying careers.

The association discussed topics including building a database for Mongolian Sinologists and collecting all the paper works as well as the academic works they’ve composed. In addition, more Sinology works will be republished across Mongolia after being revised by experts from both countries.

“Since as early as the 1920s, there have been many experts doing Chinese studies. And for the past hundred years, many articles concerning the cultural communications between the two countries have been created and shown to the world,” E. Sarantsetseg, director of Chinese Studies at Ulaanbaatar State University, said at the ceremony via video link. “The establishment of the database has set a foundation for experts and Sinologists to conduct further studies,” he added.

The association has invited 21 Mongolian scholars and experts who have made achievements in Chinese studies. “With the establishment of the database, the academic workshops as well as the re-publication of the classics and more mutual communication can be achieved in the future,” said B.Dorj, vice-principal of the National University of Mongolia.

Ever since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched in 2014, Mongolia, with its natural advantages along the ancient Silk Road, has developed cooperative relations with China in areas such as medical care and construction of the economic corridor. The establishment of this association will “surely help boost both education as well as the translation industries of both sides,” said E. Nomin, a member of the academic committee at Otgontenger University.

The World Association for Chinese Studies (WACS) was established in July this year. Nearly 5,000 Sinologists from 103 countries have since been connected to the association, and 67 different kinds of languages have been recorded as well.