BEIJING, May 5 -- China is planning a program to promote cultural cooperation among countries along the ancient Silk Road, the Ministry of Culture said on Monday.

The program is aimed at improving cooperation in fields such as the entertainment business, tourism, protection of cultural heritage and sport, said a statement from the ministry.

The Silk Road, an ancient trade route, linked China with Europe through Central Asia for centuries. Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Central Asia last September put forward the idea of a Silk Road economic belt.

This cultural program is part of efforts to realize the new Silk Road economic belt concept, the ministry statement said.

The program will include an annual cultural forum, joint production of TV shows, films and animation, trade centers and exhibitions of cultural products as well as cultural events, according to the ministry.

China's central government and provincial governments along the Silk Road will work out preferential policies, it added.

The ministry is still working on detailed schemes for the program.