Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Kazakhstan and China plays an important role in strengthening bilateral ties -- President of Kazakhstan K.-J. Tokayev
Kazakhstan is ready to strengthen cultural and humanitarian exchanges with China and believes that cultural and humanitarian cooperation plays an important role in strengthening bilateral ties and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. This was stated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev in a written interview with Xinhua.
K.-J. Tokayev noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, cultural and humanitarian cooperation has always remained active. Interaction in such fields as education, culture, tourism, science and technology has invariably developed on an upward trajectory.
“In March of this year, the opening ceremony of the Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China was held in Beijing. The start was given to the promotion of tourism contacts between our countries. On the eve of the ceremony in the Chinese capital held a forum on tourism and investment, also organized a tourism fair, where all regions of Kazakhstan were represented, “- said the Kazakh leader.
He said that under the auspices of the Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China, more than 35 different events are planned to be held in cities and provinces of China, aimed at familiarizing with the sights, rich culture and customs of Kazakhstan. “We are ready together with China to continue the set dynamics”, - K.-Zh. Tokayev emphasized.
According to him, the mutual establishment of cultural centers of Kazakhstan and China will give an additional impetus to humanitarian cooperation between the countries. “I am convinced that these important points of attraction will become strong bridges of friendship between our peoples,” -- he said.
The Kazakh president said that in February this year he visited the first “Lu Ban Workshop” established on the basis of the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University. “I was impressed with the modern laboratories for training highly skilled technical and engineering personnel for Kazakhstan's auto industry, -- he said. -- We are very interested in expanding the geography of such laboratories in our country. I think that the trained specialists will contribute to the effective realization of joint projects”.
K.-Zh. Tokayev also noted that another evidence of fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the field of higher education is the opening of a branch of the North-West Polytechnic University on the basis of the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi in Almaty. “We are ready to create favorable conditions for opening branches of China's leading technical universities in our country,” the president stressed.
Tajikistan and China: horizons of cooperation in education and science
Since the first days of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China in 1992, Dushanbe has regarded Beijing as a reliable and strategic partner. The cultural and humanitarian sphere is one of the central areas of Tajik-Chinese cooperation, and Shamsiddin Karimov, Doctor of Political Sciences, Chief Researcher of the USA and Canada Department of the Institute of Asian and European Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, talks about its development on the eve of the state visit of President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping to Tajikistan.
Learning the language, learning China
According to the scholar, the cultural and humanitarian vector of Tajik-Chinese relations is a pillar of long-term partnership, where cooperation in education and science is of key importance.
In the years of Tajikistan's independence, the interest of the Tajik people, particularly the younger generation, in China, its culture and language has increased markedly. Chinese is not only the official language of the United Nations, but also one of the most popular languages in the world due to its widespread use.
For the first time in 1997 in the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University was introduced a specialty “Chinese language”. This was the beginning of Chinese language teaching in Tajikistan. Later, in 2001, the Tajik State Institute of Languages named after S. Ulugzade opened a specialty of “Chinese language”.
The growth in the number of Tajiks willing to study Chinese and receive diplomas from Chinese universities is directly proportional to the dynamics of Sino-Tajik foreign trade ties and investment activity of Chinese companies in Tajikistan.
“There has been a noticeable intensification of language practice. Between 1994 and 2004, 199 students from Tajikistan underwent language training in China; in recent years, the number has increased significantly - 1,641 students from 2005 to 2013. In 2012-2013, the share of foreign students in Chinese universities increased by an order of magnitude at the expense of Tajik students. Currently, there are two Confucius Centers functioning in Tajikistan - at the Tajik National University and the Tajik Mining and Metallurgical Institute in the city of Buston, Sughd province. Their essence and activity is to develop world-level understanding of Chinese culture, to improve and strengthen friendly relations between China and other countries,” the interlocutor said.
In general, in the period from 2009 to 2020, more than 600 Chinese language lessons for Tajik students were conducted under various programs of the training center, 200 students, including 40 undergraduate students, 70 postgraduates became scholarship holders of the Confucius Center for the whole period, 100 students were sent to China for one-year internships in Chinese institutes and universities.
Book translations unite
“Within the framework of bilateral partnership relations, the book “Tajiks: Folk Customs and Culture” has been translated from Chinese into Tajik. In China, Academician B. Gafurov's two-volume work 'Tajiks: Ancient, Ancient and Medieval History' has been translated into Chinese and published,” Shamsiddin Karimov said.
Tajikistan, he said, has published a number of textbooks in Tajik on studying Chinese, such as “Zaboni ommavia chini” (“Public Chinese”), “Zaboni chini” (“Chinese Language”), “Bustoni zaboni chini” (“Chinese Language Garden”), “Zaboni chini tichorati” (“Chinese Commercial Language”) and others. A total of 24 kinds of teaching materials have been published, which are successfully used in Chinese language learning.
A new stage in scientific cooperation
In addition, on the initiative of the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and with the support of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, the Center for the Study of Modern China is being established and will soon begin its work. This will serve to further develop and strengthen cultural and educational interactions between the two countries.
Science is a bridge of cooperation between Tajikistan and China
Cooperation in science and research is an important area of interaction between Tajikistan and China. Scientists from the two countries participate in joint projects aimed at solving urgent problems in various fields, such as agriculture, energy, ecology and medicine; conduct research in the field of renewable energy sources, developing new technologies to utilize the hydropower potential of Tajikistan. It should be noted that to date, more than 50 legal acts between scientific institutions and organizations of the two countries have been signed in this direction, which determine the priority areas of scientific cooperation between Tajikistan and China.
Within the framework of scientific cooperation, scientists conduct valuable scientific research, which has contributed to the study of global warming and glacier melting in the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains.
There is also scientific cooperation in the field of innovative technologies and food safety. A joint project of Tajik and Chinese scientists “Assessment of population of rare and endangered animals and endemic plant species in different ecosystems of Tajikistan” is being successfully realized.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation
Kyrgyzstan and China are linked by a centuries-old history and culture that stretches back to the times of the Great Silk Road, and the long history of cultural interaction testifies to the deep ties between the peoples of the two countries, which have been further strengthened during Kyrgyzstan's independence.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kyrgyzstan and China, Days of Culture and tours by Kyrgyz and Chinese creative groups have been organized, which have made it possible to familiarize ourselves with the distinctive cultural and musical traditions of the two countries. Creative groups from Kyrgyzstan and China performed in various cities (Bishkek, Osh, Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi, Guangzhou).
The main event in the first half of 2018 in the cultural and humanitarian direction was the visit of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic S.S. Jeenbekov to the Beijing Tianzao Performing Arts Center to watch an opera based on the epic “Manas” in the Chinese language, which was staged for the 10th time based on the version of the book by Zhusup Mamai and specially timed to coincide with the state visit of the Head of the Kyrgyz Republic to the PRC.
Through the organization of joint events, our peoples become even more familiar with each other's rich history and culture. In this regard, a number of events are being prepared this year that will give an appropriate impetus to the cultural and humanitarian interaction between our countries, one of which will be the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Kyrgyz and Soviet writer Chyngyz Aitmatov in 2018.
Also one of the important events in the field of culture and sports in 2018 is a unique international sports and ethno-cultural event - the Third World Nomad Games - held on September 2-8, 2018 on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, where representatives from the PRC took an active part.
The main important component in the sphere of humanitarian interaction is cooperation in the field of education. In Kyrgyzstan, the number of people interested in Chinese culture and history is growing annually, and the development of the Chinese language is actively supported, in particular, departments of Chinese studies, 4 Confucius Institutes are successfully functioning in higher education institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic, and in 2017 a separate secondary school with Chinese language teaching was opened in Bishkek. At the same time, more than 4 thousand citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic are studying at universities of the PRC.
Uzbekistan and China: vectors of cultural cooperation
Since gaining independence, the priority of Uzbekistan's state policy has been to establish close cooperation with foreign countries, including in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. China has been one of our permanent partners for many years.
In order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China and the implementation of the National Program for the Development and Support of Reading Culture for 2020-2025, the SCO CND, together with the Alisher Navoi National Library of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek-Chinese Institute named after Alisher Navoi and the Uzbek-Chinese Institute named after Alisher Navoi.
The SCO People's Diplomacy Center in Uzbekistan has also established close cultural and humanitarian cooperation with Confucius Institutes in Uzbekistan. These institutions in Tashkent and Samarkand have received books and brochures, which, by their thematic focus and content, are aimed at familiarizing themselves with the historical, philosophical and cultural heritage of China and are intended for specialists and a wide range of readers.
The active participation of Chinese partners in the work of two major events - the SCO People's Diplomacy Forum in Tashkent and the international conference organized by the SCO CND in 2022 - demonstrates that the use of the mechanisms of people's diplomacy at different venues makes it possible to develop cultural and humanitarian cooperation at the level of civil society and national cultural centers, and also gives a new impetus to cooperation between cultural, academic and educational institutions of the two countries.
Turkmenistan-China: the course of development of cooperation
The history of relations between the Turkmen and Chinese peoples dates back to the depths of centuries. The ancient Chinese civilization, as well as the centuries-old cultural and historical heritage of Turkmens, had a significant impact on the course of world history. Both peoples are united by careful attitude to the rich and original culture and traditions of their countries, loyalty to the customs of their glorious ancestors and preservation of the national heritage for future generations. Turkmenistan's favorable geostrategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia is an important factor in the development of the country.
Cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere is also one of the important components of Turkmen-Chinese relations. Contacts in this sphere strengthen the friendship between the peoples of Turkmenistan and China, also acting as one of the main means of mutual understanding. That is why the ties between the two countries in the fields of education, science, literature and art, sports and tourism are strengthening and expanding.
The successful development, especially in recent years, of relations between Turkmenistan and China in all areas is a significant result of the steady continuation and development of the traditions of cooperation between the Turkmen and Chinese peoples established in the era of the Great Silk Road, its revival in the new historical conditions for the happiness, prosperity and progress of the peoples of the two countries. In other words, in the era of high technology and communication innovations, the significance of the ancient Silk Road is not only not decreasing, but on the contrary, it is repeatedly increasing, contributing more and more to the economic development and mutual influence of cultures, building bridges of friendship and mutual understanding between peoples and making an ever greater contribution to strengthening peace and security in the world.
The relations between China and the Central Asian countries are indeed at a very high level and most importantly, the Central Asian states and China are sincerely in favor of further continuation of these mutually beneficial ties. This cooperation is of strategic importance for both China and the Central Asian countries.
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