On the afternoon of May 14, 2017, parallel session on People-to-People Connectivity of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation opened at the National Convention Center in Beijing. Wang Zhigang, Secretary of the CPC Leading Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, addressed the session, which was attended by more than 400 Chinese and foreign guests including international organization officers, government and party leaders, enterprise and NGO representatives, and citizens.

During the meeting, Minister Wang Zhigang, Jamiyansuren Batsuuri, Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sport of Mongolia, and Jozsef Palinkas, President of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary, stepped on the stage to exchange and show the agreements signed between them, including the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sport of Mongolia on Young Scientist Exchange, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sport of Mongolia on Cooperation for the Establishment of Science Park and Innovation Infrastructure Development in Mongolia, and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary on Joint Funding to Research and Development Projects.

In his speech at the meeting, Wang introduced the Belt and Road STI Cooperation Action Plan and the work in the subsequent stage. He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping made an important speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in which Xi stressed building the Belt and Road into a road of innovation and advancing the Belt and Road Initiative through innovation, and announced the launch of the Belt and Road STI Cooperation Action Plan. Wang added that subsequent work will focus on implementing the four initiatives of the Action Plan on science and technology people-to-people exchange, joint laboratory, science park cooperation, and technology transfer, giving full scope to the role of STI in supporting and leading development, and working with countries along the Belt and Road to promote STI development.