BEIJING -- China will support 5,000 people from innovation sector in Belt and Road countries in conducting exchanges, training programs and joint researches in the next five years, President Xi Jinping said Friday.

China will work with other participants of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote scientific and cultural exchanges, set up joint science labs, build science and technology parks, and promote transfer of technologies, Xi said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.