The third annual BRICS Young Diplomats Forum got underway at Beijing Normal University on Wednesday.

Seventy young diplomats from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are taking part in the forum, which will run until Saturday and is aimed at boosting people-to-people exchanges among BRICS nations.

The event — organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beijing Normal University and the government of Linyi, Shandong province — is seen as a warmup to the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, Fujian province, in September.

Wang Xiaolong, the Foreign Ministry’s special envoy for BRICS affairs, said at the opening ceremony that the forum would lay solid foundations for September’s summit.

Dong Qi, president of Beijing Normal University, added that the forum marked efforts by China to deepen understanding and friendship among young people from the five countries involved.

"Our university places great value on collaboration with BRICS nations, and we will take this opportunity to further cooperation with more higher education institutions in emerging economies," he said.

He added that his university worked with more than 40 colleges and universities from BRICS nations in 2015 and established the BRICS University Alliance.

"We will keep on working together to make the alliance a platform for educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. We will also work together to set up research centers and launch joint academic programs," Dong said.