A meeting was held at the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan between Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan Azat Atayev and a representative delegation of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese delegation included representatives of the Department of International Cooperation, the Department of Vocational and Higher Education, and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the PRC.
During the talks, the parties reviewed the current state and future prospects of Turkmen-Chinese cooperation in education. It was emphasized that interaction between the two countries in this field is developing on a solid political and legal basis, including the outcomes of the Central Asia–China Summit held in Xi’an in May 2023, as well as the Declaration adopted at the first meeting of Ministers of Education of the Central Asia–China format held in Urumqi in May 2025.
The Chinese side expressed its readiness to further expand cooperation in several areas. These include language training, scholarship opportunities for Turkmen students, the establishment of joint laboratories, and the development of new educational platforms within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Particular attention was paid to the initiative to establish joint research and training laboratories.
Language cooperation occupied a special place in the discussions. According to the Chinese side, 44 Chinese language teachers have been sent to Turkmenistan since 2005, and at present teachers from China continue to work in three Turkmen higher education institutions. It was also noted that agreements were signed in 2023 with three Turkmen universities on the dispatch of Chinese language teachers. Today, Chinese is taught in 10 schools in Turkmenistan, where around 6,200 schoolchildren study the language, and also in 9 higher education institutions, where around 1,000 students are learning Chinese. In addition, Beijing Foreign Studies University is training students in the “Russian language + Turkmen language” track, and in the 2026–2027 academic year students of this track plan to undertake one year of study at Magtymguly Turkmen State University.
The Turkmen side expressed interest in further expanding this area of cooperation, including increasing the number of teachers being sent, introducing the “Chinese language + profession” format, in which a teacher combines language instruction with subject-specific training, and developing cooperation on the HSK standardized test. It was noted that the issue of opening a relevant center at the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages is currently under consideration. The Turkmen side also expressed interest in studying the experience of the Chinese Gaokao examination as one of the largest and most technologically organized knowledge assessment mechanisms.
A substantive part of the meeting focused on new areas of cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and vocational-technical education. The Turkmen side proposed considering the implementation of joint initiatives on the applied use of artificial intelligence in education, the establishment of joint laboratories, the conduct of research, and practice-oriented methodological seminars. The priority areas identified as being of particular interest to Turkmenistan included artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology, bioengineering, chemical engineering, energy, and green energy. It was proposed that these areas be taken into account when allocating scholarship opportunities provided within the Central Asia–China framework.
In the course of discussing vocational education, the Chinese side presented its experience in dual training and in the operation of a network of competence centers. The Turkmen side positively received these proposals and expressed readiness for their further study.
Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their interest in strengthening cooperation, agreed to continue working-level consultations on the identified areas, and emphasized the special importance of the systematic implementation of previously reached agreements. The meeting was held in a constructive and friendly atmosphere.