The coastal city of Yantai in Shandong province has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Beijing Jiaotong University to build a research institute in Bajiao Port in the city's economic development zone.

The agreement will facilitate cooperation between the two sides on high-level talent cultivation and the research and development of new technologies and products.

The highlight of the agreement is the establishment of a national laboratory for hyperloop technology, a futuristic mode of transportation that could allow trains to run at speeds of up to 4,000 kilometers an hour.

File photo / China Daily

A kilometer-long test line will be built to facilitate the research of ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev trains, according to the agreement.

Under the agreement, an educational training base will also be built in Yantai. The base will provide long-distance education and open online courses for adults, and offer internships and jobs for high-level technical talents.

The institute will provide technological support and consulting services to promote economic growth in Yantai, according to the agreement.