On August 4, Zhang Lifeng, President of NCUT, visited the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in China at the invitation of Ambassador Farhod Arziev. The two sides exchanged views on academic cooperation and other areas of mutual interest.

Ambassador Arziev warmly welcomed Zhang Lifeng and his delegation. He noted that NCUT has a long history of cooperation with universities in Uzbekistan and has established close partnerships with several leading institutions, achieving fruitful results in areas such as dual-degree programs. These achievements have received strong recognition from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and other relevant authorities. Arziev expressed the hope that NCUT would further consolidate existing partnerships with Uzbek universities, expand areas of cooperation, and deepen collaboration. He proposed strengthening cooperation in establishing a joint engineering school and joint laboratories in engineering disciplines to create more opportunities for young scholars and contribute to scientific and technological development in both countries.

Zhang Lifeng thanked Ambassador Arziev for his warm reception and introduced NCUT, with a focus on its longstanding exchanges with Uzbek universities and achievements in joint talent cultivation, academic exchange, and research cooperation. In response to Arziev's proposals, Zhang noted that NCUT is working with Andijan State Technical University to develop a Modern Engineering School, offering dual-degree programs in Mechatronics Engineering, Electronic Information Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. He also introduced NCUT's university-level Belt and Road joint laboratories in engineering established with 7 Uzbek universities, including Tashkent State Technical University. A series of academic exchange activities have already been carried out, and the universities are currently jointly applying for a national-level joint laboratory under China's Ministry of Science and Technology. Zhang emphasized that NCUT will continue to build on its strengths in engineering and seize opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative to deepen cooperation with Uzbek universities in academic innovation, talent cultivation, and industry-education integration. Through platforms such as joint laboratories and the Modern Engineering School, the University will further enrich China-Uzbekistan cooperation in higher education and scientific and technological innovation and contribute to the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the meeting, the two sides held in-depth discussions on the application for the Belt and Road joint laboratory, the development of the Modern Engineering School, and research cooperation in key areas including mining and energy. Ambassador Arziev said that the Embassy would fully support practical cooperation between NCUT and Uzbek universities at multiple levels and across a broad range of fields.

Sardor Shiradzhov, Education Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in China, and representatives from NCUT's Office of International Affairs attended the meeting.