Peking University, June 18, 2026: From June 10 to 13, Ning Qi, vice president of Peking University, led a delegation to Uzbekistan as part of a broader effort to deepen academic cooperation, cultural dialogue and people-to-people connections between China and the Central Asian country.
The delegation attended the 2026 Hehe Civilization Forum, jointly hosted by the International Confucian Association and Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. Focusing on "Wisdom of Harmony and Cooperation" and "High-quality Development of the Belt and Road Initiative," the event gathered over 200 distinguished representatives from seven nations including China, Russia and Central Asian states.
In a keynote speech, Ning Qi highlighted PKU's practice in area studies, Central Asian language and culture studies, and Silk Road archaeology, underscoring the role of universities in advancing dialogue between civilizations and cultivating globally minded talent. She also shared the university's experience in developing interdisciplinary programs and digital education at a parallel rectors' roundtable.
Group photo with forum guests
During a visit to the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation, Ning Qi and Executive Director Gulnoza Ismailova agreed to deepen cooperation in talent development and youth exchanges with an aim to strengthen people-to-people ties between China and Uzbekistan.
At New Uzbekistan University, Ning Qi held talks with Vice-Rector Azizbek Marakhimov. The two sides discussed opportunities for cooperation in area studies, frontier scientific research and cultural cooperation, and agreed to promote practical collaboration to boost bilateral exchanges in higher education.
The delegation also visited the Chinese Embassy in Uzbekistan, where Ambassador Yu Jun praised PKU's contributions to China-Uzbekistan educational cooperation and reaffirmed the Embassy's continued support for future exchanges.
Representatives from relevant faculties and administrative departments of Peking University joined the delegation.
Written by: Hoa Pham
Edited by: Chris Tang Xiao Tong, Chen Shizhuo
Source: PKU News (
Chinese)
