In recent years, the government of Uzbekistan has placed a great emphasis on educational cooperation with developed countries. As a close partner in this direction, the People’s Republic of China has had a significant role in the development of Uzbekistan-China relations over the past 31 years. The Belt and Road project has further strengthened the ancient friendly ties between the two countries. Branches of several Chinese universities have been opened in Uzbekistan, and many of our young people study in China. Agreements on mutual recognition of academic degrees and cooperation in education were signed in 1993, providing the legal basis for increasing the number of international students, exchanging scholarships, and supporting and stimulating collaboration between universities.
At present, almost 4,000 young people from Uzbekistan are studying in universities in China, and they are eligible for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Scholarship. The Chinese government also provides 100 scholarships to students from Uzbekistan. Currently, 18 universities in Uzbekistan are in official cooperation with China, including the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, the Uzbek State University of World Languages, the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, the Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology, and the Bukhara State University.
Moreover, many young people from China study in Uzbekistan based on the student exchange program, and their number is increasing yearly. In addition, a memorandum was signed between Tianjin Maritime Vocational College and Tashkent State Transport University, and a joint organization of the LuBan workshop was established to train qualified personnel in vocational education.
To help young people learn the Chinese language, two Confucius Institutes have been opened in Uzbekistan (in Tashkent and Samarkand). More than 10,000 specialists have already been trained in these institutes. The Chinese language is also included in the list of 8 priority foreign languages to be studied, and the Chinese Bridge competition and summer camp are held to increase students’ interest in learning the language.
Guzal Sattorova, UzA