KATHMANDU, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Nepal is soon introducing aeronautics and astronautics engineering program at the universities for the first time in cooperation with a Chinese university, officials said on Monday.

Participating in the three-day joint academic workshop jointly organized by Nepal's Tribhuvan University (TU) and China's Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Kathmandu, academicians said this will enable the Nepali students to study aeronautics and astronautics engineering in the country.

The agreement of partnership to this effect will be signed between Nepali and Chinese academic institutions within a couple of days, according to officials

"We are very happy to introduce this important engineering program, which will be completely new to Nepali students. We believe such international collaboration can produce the capable human resources," Prof. Tirtha Raj Khaniya, vice chancellor of the country's oldest university TU, told Xinhua.

He expressed hope that the cooperation can also be the first academic work to be introduced within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was signed by Nepal in May last year.

Tribhuvan University has signed Memorandum of Understanding with 18 Chinese universities covering different fields, like civil engineering, medicine, business and economics, among others.

TU's Institute of Engineering, which produces around 4,000 engineers annually, will commence the course on aeronautics and astronautics in bachelors level in the first phase, officials said.

Prof. Tri Ratna Bajracharya, dean at the Institute of Engineering, told Xinhua, "Since Nepal is a mountainous country where aviation is the most sought transport, this program will be very suitable for Nepali students."

Bajracharya further said that through this program Nepal can fulfill the gap of manpower and can produce globally competitive and capable professionals.