On July 5, in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng and Tajik Minister of Education and Science Saidzoda exchanged two cooperation documents, including the Memorandum of Academic Cooperation between Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) and Tajikistan International University of Foreign Languages. This initiative aims to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries and comprehensively elevate the level of educational cooperation between China and Tajikistan.
After thorough preparation and communication, BLCU President Duan Peng and Tajikistan International University of Foreign Languages Rector Jilo Gulnazarzoda signed the memorandum on June 26 this year, which was successfully included in the outcomes list of the leaders' meeting. According to the memorandum, both sides will collaborate in areas such as journal publication, teaching, and research, facilitating exchanges of research staff, faculty, and students. This partnership actively responds to cooperation mechanisms under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the China-Central Asia Summit, and the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting research collaboration and educational exchanges between BLCU and universities along the Belt and Road, serving the joint construction of the Belt and Road and the China-Tajikistan community of shared future.
Founded in 1979 and located in the capital Dushanbe, Tajikistan International University of Foreign Languages is a higher education institution authorized by the Tajik Ministry of Education to conduct educational activities. It offers majors in Chinese Language and Chinese Language with Computer Science, with courses including Chinese Translation, History of Chinese Linguistics, Chinese Literature, Chinese Phonetics, Official Document Translation (Tajik-Chinese), Guide Interpretation (Tajik-Chinese), and Grammar Comparison (Tajik-Chinese). The university leads Tajikistan in the number of Chinese major students and Chinese-native teachers.
In recent years, with the ever-expanding and intensifying collaboration between China and Tajikistan in multiple spheres including politics, economy and culture, the demand for language and cultural exchanges has shown strong growth. BLCU, aligning closely with China's opening-up strategy, leverages its unique strengths to actively promote educational exchanges and cooperation with Tajikistan.
On August 22, 2023, Tajik Parliament Speaker Rustam Emomali, on behalf of Tajikistan, led a delegation to visit BLCU and donated a statue of Abu Abdulloh Rudaki, the Tajik national poet and the founder of Tajik-Persian literature. The joint unveiling of Rudaki's statue not only marks a significant event in the mutual learning and cultural exchanges between China and Tajikistan, but also symbolizes a new chapter in our cultural and educational cooperation. Tajik Parliament Speaker Rustam Emomali remarked that "the development of BLCU witnesses the modernization and preservation of China's finest educational traditions" and expressed high appreciation and sincere gratitude for BLCU's efforts in cultivating outstanding Tajik talents across various fields. This inspires BLCU to continue deepening language and cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
On August 14, 2023, President Duan Peng had a gracious meeting with Tajik Ambassador to China Saidzoda Zohir at BLCU. The two sides held in-depth discussions on advancing international Chinese language education, the mutual translation plan for Asian classics, and the global Sinology research, so as to strengthen cultural and educational exchanges. Both sides reached consensus on promoting mutual language learning, credit recognition, and resources sharing to enhance cultural understanding and people-to-people bonds.
On September 28, 2023, President Duan Peng was invited to attend the “Five Continents and Four Oceans: Belt and Road Archaeology and Cultural Relics Cooperation Exhibition,” hosted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and organized by the Palace Museum, China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, and China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation. At this event, President Duan had a second cordial meeting with Tajik Ambassador Saidzoda Zohir, who fondly recalled the Parliament Speaker's visit and expressed heartfelt thanks, hoping to further expand educational cooperation with BLCU.
Looking ahead, BLCU will continue to promote educational cooperation with Tajik universities, expand cultural exchanges, and actively advance comprehensive collaboration in fields such as Sinology and Chinese Studies, International Chinese Education, Language sciences, and Regional and Country Studies in Tajikistan. By supporting the development of relevant disciplines at local universities, BLCU aims to cultivate more talents who understand and befriend China, contributing to a new chapter in China-Tajikistan educational exchanges.
