Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), a leading international Chinese language educational institution, will launch a new campus in the World Expo area of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with a launch ceremony scheduled for July 3.
As a joint project with Astana International University, the project has become a symbol of educational exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
On the new campus, Irsaliyev Serik Aztayevich, the campus president, proudly showed a China Global Television Network crew the registration card of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who studied Chinese at the BLCU from 1983 to 1984 with outstanding results.
Tokayev has discussed his learning experience on many occasions over the years, and he visited his alma mater last year. The connection between the Kazakh leader and the new campus lends the new project a personal edge and unique significance.
"Forty years ago, President Tokayev studied at this university and that gives us an impulse. We regard it as a sign that the work put into this branch will turn into a success, and the bridge of friendship between our countries and students will form a strong basis for the development of good neighborly and friendly relations," said Aztayevich.
The university will start to enroll students in August, a month ahead of the school's official opening in September. It plans to enroll students not only from Kazakhstan, but also countries from other nations in Central Asia who want to study the Chinese language.
"As an example, Chinese businessman implemented more than 50 investment projects, but when we discussed the problems they faced, they always said it was very difficult to find well qualified personnel with knowledge of the Chinese language to help them during the process. By opening the Beijing Language and Culture University branch, we are trying to close this gap," Aztayevich said.
An estimated 28,000 students from Central Asia are studying in China -- among them, 14,000 are from Kazakhstan. Now, with projects like this one being developed, even more students from Kazakhstan will have the opportunity to study at Chinese universities.
Beijing Language and Culture University to unveil new branch in Astana
Government officials and representatives of major media organizations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states attended a roundtable meeting on Wednesday in Astana, Kazakhstan, ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.
Hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), the meeting was held under the theme of pulling together the media power and carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit. Attendees summarized what China and other SCO members have achieved in media cooperation and sought deeper cooperation for the future.
Shen Haixiong, president of the CMG, said mass media organizations should deepen cooperation and jointly promote exchanges and mutual learning by telling stories of people-to-people ties among SCO members and creating a fair, objective and healthy global public opinion ecology.
Shen said the CMG is willing to make joint efforts with the mass media outlets of SCO member countries to take the Astana roundtable meeting as an opportunity to push the development of the SCO to a new level.
Kanat Iskakov, Kazakh vice minister of culture and information, drew attention to the key role of mass media in strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good neighborliness. He hoped that through this dialogue, mass media organizations of the SCO member states could establish closer cooperative relations.
Andrey Denisov, the first deputy chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said SCO member states should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields and build a more just, reasonable, diversified and inclusive space for international public opinion in the current international environment.
Other representatives of major mass media organizations from the SCO member states also shared their insights on how best to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.
Bolat Nurgaliyev, a former SCO Secretary-General, said media outlets should strive to create a cultural atmosphere and environment of mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual appreciation.
According to another former SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, over 180 events dedicated to various sectors have been held during Kazakhstan's presidency of the SCO, and he suggested that a media union of the SCO countries could be established to strengthen technical cooperation.
At the event, an initiative to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the CMG and SCO mass media outlets was launched. According to the initiative, mass media should deepen cooperation, strengthen mutual training and share best practices.
Founded in Shanghai back in 2001, the SCO is a trans-regional organization comprised of nine full members, three observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners, which covers over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population.
SCO members eye deeper cooperation in mass media
SCO members eye deeper cooperation in mass media
