In alignment with the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit, the Jiangsu-Central Asia Industry-Education Integration Alliance Exchange Meeting on China-Kazakhstan Education Cooperation was held at Nanjing Institute of Technology on the afternoon of December 9, 2025. The event was attended by an educational delegation led by Eldar Tulekov, Director of the Department of Strategy and Coordination of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with representatives from higher education institutions and enterprises within the Alliance, as well as relevant university leaders and department heads. The meeting was chaired by Pu Lijie, Deputy Chair of University Council of NJIT.

On behalf of NJIT, Zhang Yangfei, Deputy Chair of University Council and President, extended a warm welcome to the guests from Kazakhstan. He noted that as an application-oriented university with a strong focus on engineering, NJIT has always adhered to an open approach to education and actively integrated itself into the Belt and Road Initiative. He expressed hope that this exchange would serve as an opportunity to deepen cooperation with Kazakh counterparts and relevant partners in areas such as the joint establishment of internship bases, faculty and student exchanges, textbook development, and collaborative research, ultimately fostering the cultivation of globally competent engineering and technical talents to meet the demands of the times and adding new momentum to China-Kazakhstan friendship and regional development.

Eldar Tulekov introduced Kazakhstan’s progress in the modernization of higher education and the development of its scientific research system, while acknowledging the potential and achievements of educational cooperation with Jiangsu Province. He expressed hope that this platform would further promote in-depth collaboration in areas such as talent cultivation, academic exchanges, and the integration of industry, academia, and research.

In his remarks, Liu Hongtao, Vice General Manager of Jiangsu Phoenix Higher Education Publishing Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Phoenix Vocational Education Publishing Co., Ltd., the Alliance’s chairing institution, stated that the Alliance would further deepen the integration of “Chinese + Professional” education, promote textbook development, and advance student exchange programs. Ding Jiaqi, Assistant to the Chairman of Jiangsu Ruifeng Information Technology Co., Ltd., shared the company’s practices in smart agriculture and industry-education integration and expressed willingness to strengthen collaboration in areas such as smart industry cooperation and talent cultivation in Central Asia, contributing to regional industrial upgrading and synergistic educational development.

During the signing and designation ceremony, several schools of NJIT - including the School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, School of Automation, School of Communications and Artificial Intelligence, School of Integrated Circuits, School of Architectural Engineering, School of Transportation Engineering, and School of Continuing Education - signed multiple agreements with relevant enterprises and institutions from China and Kazakhstan. These agreements covered areas such as the joint establishment of university-enterprise internship bases, professional Chinese language study camps, scientific research cooperation, and teacher exchanges. The university also signed a framework agreement with Jiangsu Phoenix Higher Education Publishing Co., Ltd., Nanjing Polytechnic Institute, and Kazakhstan's C2K International Education Co., Ltd. for the collaborative development of localized “Chinese + Professional” textbooks in Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, Kazakhstan’s C2K International Education Co., Ltd. joined the Alliance as a “Standing Council Member.” The Kazakhstan Space School was designated as the “Astana Development Cooperation Center of the Jiangsu-Central Asia Industry-Education Integration Alliance,” and a representative from C2K was presented with a certificate as an “Ambassador for Educational Cooperation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.”

In the subsequent keynote speeches, Nurbolat Bissengaliev, General Director of the Kazakhstan Space School; Huang Hua, Deputy Chair of the University Council of Nanjing Polytechnic Institute; Sabyrzhan Madeyev, head of National Group of International Education Experts from Kazakhstan; and Zhu Songqing, Member of the University Council and Vice President of NJIT, shared insights on topics such as Chinese language education programs, the internationalization of vocational education, the role of education as a bridge between China and Kazakhstan, and the pathways for the university’s international cooperation. The discussions were lively and engaging.

During their visit, the Kazakh educational delegation also visited relevant exhibition halls and teaching units of NJIT.