China will build a collaborative higher education system and establish an advanced research institute in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to support regional development and enhance cooperation with Central Asian countries, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng said on Monday.

Huai made the remarks at the China-Central Asia Education Ministers' Meeting in Urumqi, the regional capital, aimed at strengthening educational ties between China and the five Central Asian nations.

Both sides share an important role in national development and cultural exchanges and have achieved notable progress in recent years through mutual learning and innovation, Huai said. He called for the expansion of vocational education tailored to local needs, the development of shared digital education resources and stronger cultural exchanges.

Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui, while delivering a welcome speech at the meeting, said education is the cornerstone of long-term stability and prosperity in the region. He said Xinjiang will build a stronger education system and deepen cooperation with Belt and Road countries, particularly those in Central Asia.

Ma said higher education institutions in Xinjiang will be encouraged to expand educational and cultural exchanges with the five countries through efforts such as co-establishing Confucius Institutes and supporting overseas study programs.

Education ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also addressed the meeting.

Several achievements were announced during the session, including the launch of the China-Central Asia Industry-Education Integration Alliance and the establishment of the Central Asia Institute of the Global Teacher Development College.

Other major outcomes included the signing of the China-Kazakhstan Elite Engineers Institute agreement and the inauguration of international research centers, including an international medical center in Astana and a crop-breeding lab involving Silk Road Economic Belt countries, according to the Ministry of Education.

In recent years, Chinese universities have played a leading role in internationalizing higher education partnerships with Central Asian nations. Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province launched the China-Central Asia Higher Education Cooperation Forum in 2023, and Northwestern Polytechnical University opened a branch in Kazakhstan the same year.

Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University inaugurated its Tashkent campus in Uzbekistan, marking a deepening trend of cross-border academic cooperation. The university has also established eight agricultural demonstration parks in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that integrate research, education and industrial application.

Meanwhile, China has become a top destination for Central Asian students, and Confucius Institutes and Chinese language programs are expanding across the region. Thirteen Confucius Institutes now operate in Central Asia, and four countries have formally integrated Chinese into their national education systems, according to the ministry.

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