Bridging the Belt and Road
Confucius Institutes, Luban Workshops connect China and Central Asia through language and skills
At the Confucius Institute of Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan, students gathered on Sept 24 to make mooncakes, a traditional Chinese delicacy, deepening their understanding of the Mid-Autumn Festival through hands-on cultural exchange.
The event is one example of how China and Central Asian countries have deepened ties in recent years through people-to-people and vocational cooperation.
Confucius Institutes have become important platforms for Central Asian students to learn Chinese, while Luban Workshops train highly skilled technical professionals to contribute to these countries' development and construction.
Central Asia now hosts 13 Confucius Institutes, with Kazakhstan accounting for five institutes, Kyrgyzstan four, and Uzbekistan and Tajikistan two each, according to Xinhua.
At the Luban Workshop of L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana, Kazakhstan, robotic arms, computer workstations and drone training equipment fill a smart laboratory where students learn how computer vision supports industrial automation.
