As part of Rector Dr. Chidem Turkyilmaz's working visit to China, a memorandum of understanding was signed on 20 May with the Confucius Institute — a body established by the Chinese government to organise Chinese-language courses at the university, including preparation for HSK exams, and to support academic exchange and research and strengthen international cultural ties with China. The Confucius Institute is an education and cultural centre that teaches Chinese language and culture worldwide and operates in cooperation with higher education institutions.
The Rector was then received by Dr. Tang Lixin, Vice-President of Northeastern University, where the two sides exchanged views on the strong friendship ties between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Uzbekistan, including the intergovernmental cooperation being conducted in higher education, such as the 1st China–Central Asia Meeting of Ministers of Education recently held in Urumqi and the “China–Central Asia Alliance for Education-Industry Integration” established as part of that high-level meeting, as well as promising projects aimed at closer cooperation between higher education and industry.
In the afternoon, a working group meeting was held at Northeastern University's School of International Education to discuss launching a joint education programme in Metallurgical Engineering starting from the 2025–2026 academic year. The meeting was attended by the university's Rector Dr. Chidem Turkyilmaz and Professor Emrah Turkyilmaz of the Faculty of Architecture, and, from Northeastern University, Dr. Zhang Yannan, Head of the International Cooperation Department, Dr. Yu Fuxiao, Dean of the School of International Education, Dr. Wang Jianjun, Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and other officials. The parties mainly worked on the planned joint programme in Metallurgical Engineering, its work plan, qualification requirements and the set of subjects to be taught, reaching general agreement. They also drew up a concrete action plan for putting this joint programme into practice.
