China's first institute to study Africa's Great Lakes region was opened at the Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, local media outlets reported on April 26.

The Great Lakes region refers to the areas around the lakes of Victoria, Tanganyika and Kivu in Africa, covering 11 countries including Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The region boasts an area of more than 7 million square kilometers and has a total population of about 200 million.

Great Lakes region boasts rich resources, has enormous development potential, but remains afflicted by armed conflicts and intercommunal violence.

Recently, cross-border security incidents in the region have decreased significantly and many countries in the regions are becoming important partners of Chinese enterprises.

"Zhejiang enterprises have invested over $3.1 billion in the region and over 20,000 Zhejiang natives are living there. Our exchanges with African countries are becoming more frequent," said Xu Zhenhua, principal of the university.

Xu added that countries in Great Lakes region use English and French, which happen to be the most popular majors at the university.

"Our research will be focused on regional politics, enterprise management, cross-border e-commerce, and venture investment," Xu said. "The institute will be committed to offer consulting service to Shaoxing enterprises looking for opportunities in Africa."