KIEV, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Cultural and Educational Forum "Silk Road 2018: Ukraine-China" kicked off on Thursday, bringing together hundreds of participants.

Professors, students and scholars from 11 Chinese universities and 46 Ukrainian higher educational establishments participated in the two-day event, which features a number of discussions on bilateral cultural and educational cooperation.

The forum is aimed at promoting the Silk Road spirit and jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative by China and Ukraine, according to its organizers.

The event was organized by the Ukrainian Education and Science Ministry, Ukrainian Culture Ministry and Ukrainian Information Policy Ministry, in cooperation with the Ukrainian-Chinese Centre of Culture and Education.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the forum, Ukraine's Deputy Education and Science Minister Yuriy Rashkevych said cooperation between China and Ukraine in educational and cultural sectors is flourishing.

Currently, universities from both sides have more than 70 partnership agreements, under which they conduct student exchanges and jointly implement scientific and cultural projects, enhancing the friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, Rashkevych said.

"I hope this forum will establish new contacts and will bring new agreements and new joint projects," Rashkevych said.

His words were echoed by Volodymyr Isaenko, the president of the National Aviation University (NAU) of Ukraine, who voiced intent to create new links between the NAU and Chinese universities.

"The development of cooperation between the leading universities of Ukraine and the People's Republic of China will contribute to further strengthening the friendship between our countries in the educational and information field and in other areas," Isaenko said.

Apart from professional and student discussions, the forum features a presentation of Chinese universities' admission programs for Ukrainian students.

Li Bin, the deputy head of international cooperation and exchanges department at Municipal Education Commission in Chongqing, southwest China, described the event as a good platform for Chinese universities to attract students from Ukraine.

"We hope that more and more Ukrainian students will come to Chongqing after this forum," Li said.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Borilyuk from Kiev may become one of those students. At the forum, she took brochures with the presentation of Chongqing University of Science and Technology and Chongqing Technology and Business University.

"I want to examine information about the universities. I am considering studying in China, and I need to know which university offers the best conditions," Borilyuk said.

The International Cultural and Educational Forum "Silk Road 2018: Ukraine-China" is the second major gathering of the representatives of Chinese and Ukrainian universities in less than a year.

On June 23, 2017, presidents and chancellors of 11 Chinese and 25 Ukrainian universities held a roundtable in Kiev to discuss cooperation in higher education between the two countries.