During the 7th Central Asian Economic and Social Research Forum, ZUFE signed collaboration agreements with three Central Asian universities: Tulane University (Astana) in Kazakhstan, the University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, and National University of Finance and Economics in Tajikistan on October 19.

The signing ceremony was graced by the presence of esteemed guests, including Chen Jianzhong, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Zhejiang; Chen Yanqin, deputy director-general of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government; Alrsan Koychiev, advisor to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic; and Li Jinchang, secretary of ZUFE’s Party Committee. The agreements were signed on behalf of the respective universities by Zheng Yali, vice principal of ZUFE; Iskakov Baurzhan, vice president of Tulane University (Astana); Dilmurod Nasimov, vice president of the University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan; and Sadri Sharipov, dean of National University of Finance and Economics in Tajikistan.

After the signing ceremony, each institution reciprocally presented commemorative tokens to one another.

In recent years, ZUFE has actively advanced the Belt and Road educational cooperation initiative, entering into cooperation agreements with 13 higher education institutions and organizations in Central Asia. It has established the ZUFE’s Kazakhstan “Silk Road Institute”. To date, ZUFE has enrolled over 600 international students from Central Asia. It has also set up research entities such as the Institute for Central Asia Studies and Research Institute for Kazakhstan Economic and Social Studies (RIKESS) . ZUFE has hosted the Central Asian Economic and Social Forum for seven consecutive years, and released the White Book on Investment and Business Environment