On April 9, delegations from two Kazakhstani universities—Kazakh National Women's Teacher Training University and Astana International University—visited Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). The two delegations held discussions with BLCU leadership on overseas campus development, joint talent cultivation, Chinese language education, and academic research, reaching a series of concrete cooperation outcomes.
In the afternoon, President Duan Peng met with the delegation led by Rector Gulmira Kanay of Kazakh National Women's Teacher Training University, while Vice President Zhang Baojun met with Vice Rector Kairat Abdrakhmanov of Astana International University. Officials from BLCU's Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and the Department of International Student Affairs participated in both meetings.
During the talks, BLCU briefed the visiting delegations on the university's extensive history of cooperation with Kazakhstan, noting that the President of Kazakhstan is a BLCU alumnus and that the university's overseas branch campus was inaugurated by the heads of state of both countries—a reflection of BLCU's long-standing commitment to Sino-Kazakh linguistic connectivity and civilizational exchange.
The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in Chinese language education, joint Master's and Doctoral programs, and faculty-student exchanges, with an emphasis on supporting the development of local Chinese language instructors in Kazakhstan. Leveraging the advantages of BLCU's Hainan International College within the Free Trade Port, the partnership will open "2+2" joint degree programs, welcoming Kazakhstani students to study at the Hainan campus and expanding channels for international talent cultivation. The two institutions will also jointly pursue research in AI-assisted advanced translation to train interdisciplinary, cross-cultural translation professionals.
Discussions with Astana International University focused on further developing the BLCU Kazakhstan Branch Campus. The branch has seen sustained growth, enrolling 100 students in 2024 and planning to expand 250 students in 2025, with the Kazakhstani side securing government scholarship funding to support student recruitment. Moving forward, the two parties will refine the branch's curriculum and extend academic offerings to the doctoral level, establishing a comprehensive Bachelor's-Master's-Doctorate Chinese language talent training pipeline in Kazakhstan. Plans also include the development of a regional Chinese language teacher training center, a major HSK test site, and the joint authorship of localized Chinese language textbooks for primary and secondary schools. Additional areas of collaboration include academic research, regional and country studies forums, joint scholarly publications, and university-industry partnerships.
Following the meeting, the Astana International University delegation visited BLCU's International College of Chinese Language Studies to observe classroom instruction. The delegation expressed high regard for the institution's rigorous teaching quality and students' strong academic proficiency, indicating that BLCU's educational model would serve as a benchmark for the Kazakhstan Branch Campus and that the university would actively encourage outstanding Kazakhstani students to pursue exchange and study opportunities at BLCU's Beijing campus.
（Editor: Tang Xinyue Shi Lanqin）
