Uzbek and Chinese Ministers of Education Discuss New Stages of Cooperation in Samarkand

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In Samarkand, within the framework of international meetings held in parallel with the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Kungiratboy Sharipov, held talks with the Minister of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Huai Jinpeng.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the expansion of cooperation in education, science, and innovation, with special emphasis on promising areas such as engineering education, digital technologies, vocational training, and teacher preparation.

Kungiratboy Sharipov noted that in recent years cooperation between Uzbekistan and China has acquired a stable institutional framework. He highlighted the achievements of 2024–2025, including the creation of 29 joint educational programs between universities of the two countries and the establishment of the Muhammad al-Khwarizmi International Mathematical Center at Urgench State University in partnership with Peking University.

The meeting also addressed plans to open a branch of Xi’an Petroleum University in Samarkand and to establish an Engineering Innovation Laboratory jointly with the Beijing Institute of Technology.

The parties agreed to further develop the activities of the Uzbek-Chinese Alliance for Vocational Education, to implement the “Chinese Workshops” project across all regions of Uzbekistan, and to strengthen cooperation in digital education. Kungiratboy Sharipov also proposed practical steps for the development of Chinese language teaching, training of simultaneous interpreters, and highly qualified linguists.

As a result of the meeting, the ministers agreed to elevate cooperation to a new level and outlined specific initiatives to be implemented within the framework of the Second Uzbekistan–China Education Forum, which will take place in Tashkent on 2–3 November.