Almaty, June 15th (Xinhua) – Interview with Fang Canrong, President of KIMEP University in Kazakhstan, on the Promising Prospects of Cultural Exchange between Kazakhstan and China
Fang Canrong, President of the University of Management, Economics and Strategy of Kazakhstan (“KIMEP University”), said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency recently that the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” initiative has promoted exchanges and cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in the academic and cultural fields, and “Kazakhstan China cultural exchanges have a promising prospect”.
“The the Belt and Road Initiative has not only promoted Kazakhstan’s economic development, but also promoted regional integration,” Fang Canrong said.
Fang Canrong believes that thanks to close high-level exchanges between the two countries, educational exchanges between Kazakhstan and China have been continuously heating up in recent years. He introduced that over the past decade, KIMEP University has received delegations from more than 100 universities in China. In 2018, the university and Beijing Normal University jointly built the China Kazakhstan the Belt and Road Joint Research Center to promote academic dialogue. We are proud of the bridging role we have played in promoting the relationship between Kazakhstan and China
When it comes to the role that academic institutions can play in addressing regional challenges and planning future development, Fang Canrong pointed out that cooperation between academic institutions should focus on interdisciplinary research, joint think tank construction, and innovation laboratory development to empower the cultivation of new generation talents.
2025 has been designated as the ‘Year of Vocational Education’ by Kazakhstan. Currently, Kazakhstan’s technical and vocational education is undergoing large-scale reforms. In the process of promoting internationalization, we are establishing cooperative relationships with many well-known universities and enterprises around the world, including those from China. He said that some teachers and students have gone to Chinese cooperative units for internships, gained in-depth understanding of advanced technology and production processes, and accumulated valuable practical experience.
Fang Canrong said that the profound historical heritage of the ancient Silk Road is being inherited and showing new vitality. The implementation of the visa free policy between Kazakhstan and China in November 2023 has created more convenient conditions for bilateral cultural interaction.
In June of this year, the first China Central Asia international cultural tourism special train from Xi’an, China to Almaty, Kazakhstan arrived successfully, which is an important milestone. I am full of confidence in cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, “he said.
Regarding the upcoming second China Central Asia Summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Fang Canrong stated that the first summit to be held in Xi’an in 2023 has yielded fruitful results and looks forward to deepening cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in areas such as finance, green development, health, and digital innovation in the future.
The successful experience of China Central Asia cooperation is expected to provide useful reference for other regions and contribute important insights to global development, “he said.