BEIJING, Sept. 8 -- The Symposium on Fighting Transnational Organized Crime and Legal Safeguards for the Belt and Road Initiative was held in Beijing on Friday.

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol was present and made the keynote speech.

In her speech, she spoke highly of the initiative and believed it would propel related countries to realize win-win cooperation and sustainable development.

She suggested that countries along the Belt and Road adopt precautionary measures to guard against and reduce the adverse impact of transnational organized crime in the development of the Belt and Road.

Transnational organized crime has severely impeded economic development in some countries and it is imperative for the countries to strengthen cooperation in fighting such crime, Xu Hong, director-general of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at the opening ceremony.

Before the symposium, an honorary doctorate degree was conferred on the Thai princess by Wuhan University.

"I believe that her royal highness' strong support will further enhance Sino-Thailand and Sino-ASEAN's legal exchange and cooperation, especially cooperation in international law," said Dou Xiankang, president of th university.

Some 50 legal experts and officials from Asian and African countries, the African Unionand the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), as well as more than 400 professors and students from four Chinese universities and colleges joined the symposium.

The symposium was part of the third training session of the China-AALCO Exchange and Research Program on International Law which lasts from Sept. 4 to 24.