An event held in Qufu, Jining unveils the Chinese character of the year for the Belt and Road Initiative. [Photo/jnnews.tv]

The Chinese character "互", meaning mutually, was chosen as the word of the year for the Belt and Road Initiative at a launch event in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, East China's Shandong province.

The character stood out from nine other candidates. According to the organizer, the word looks like two hands clasped, which indicates bilateral exchanges, mutual aid, shared benefits, as well as joint development.

Since 2016, the China Public Relations Association, one of the promoters of the event, has been working with experts and scholars to choose a Chinese character that best represents the spirit of the BRI every year. The event is expected to promote different parties' understanding of the initiative, as well as enhance the cultural exchanges and cooperation between countries and regions involved in it.

Characters are an integral part of traditional Chinese culture and the event has been widely recognized as an effective way to promote Chinese culture, said Guo Weimin, president of the association.

As an important part of the BRI and the cradle of Confucian culture, Jining has been making efforts to integrate its development into the initiative. It has launched freight trains from Yanzhou, a district of Jining, to Europe and plans to build the district into an international land port.

Translated versions of The Analects of Confucius in five languages were also launched at the event.