On September 10, Zhang Lifeng, President of NCUT, was invited to attend the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). He participated in a series of events, including the opening ceremony of the Education Services Section, the “Study in Beijing” Promotion Meeting, and the Forum on Cross-Border Education Cooperation. Chen Qun, Vice President of NCUT, also attended the events.
During the achievements release session at the opening ceremony, Zhang Lifeng and Umid Turdialiyev, Rector of Andijan State Technical University in Uzbekistan, signed an agreement on joint talent development under the Belt and Road Initiative and officially presented the Modern Engineering School jointly established by the two universities. Located at Andijan State Technical University, the School will offer 3 English-taught “2+2” dual-degree undergraduate programs in Electronic Information Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, and Electrical Engineering, with student enrollment scheduled to begin this year.
At the “Study in Beijing” Promotion Meeting, Zhang Lifeng delivered a presentation titled “Serving the Belt and Road, Cultivating Engineering Talent Together,” sharing NCUT’s experience in international student education with representatives from more than 60 universities in Beijing. Drawing on the University’s 8 years of educational cooperation with Uzbekistan and examples of industry-education collaboration with companies operating overseas, including China Energy Engineering Group and HBIS Serbia, Zhang introduced NCUT’s approach to international student education: engineering at its foundation, industry-education integration as its bridge, and cultural understanding at its heart. With an international outlook rooted in Beijing, strong industry support, and distinctive NCUT strengths, the University aims to cultivate international talent equipped with Chinese-language and technological literacy, a strong understanding of China, and the ability to contribute to Belt and Road cooperation. The presentation highlighted NCUT’s distinctive practices in advancing the “Study in Beijing” initiative and was well received by representatives from the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and participating universities.
At the Forum on Cross-Border Education Cooperation, Rector Umid Turdialiyev delivered a keynote speech titled “Continuing the Silk Road Legacy, Advancing Innovation Together: Uzbekistan-China Strategic Partnership through Cooperation between Andijan State Technical University and North China University of Technology.” He discussed the evolving significance of the Silk Road and emphasized that cooperation in science and technology, mutual learning in education, and joint talent cultivation form an important foundation for deeper cooperation between universities in Uzbekistan and China. Reviewing the partnership between the two universities since 2018, he expressed a commitment to further developing joint education, innovating talent cultivation models, and expanding academic mobility. He also called for cooperation to move from joint education to joint research and onward to innovation, using innovation to promote shared development and a shared future.
After the opening ceremony, Zhang Lifeng visited NCUT’s booth in the Education Services Section and toured the exhibition area together with Rector Umid Turdialiyev.
The Education Services Section of the 2026 CIFTIS focuses on the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and aims to provide a high-level platform for international exchange and cooperation in education services. The presentation of these achievements showcased NCUT’s sustained efforts in educational cooperation with Uzbekistan and brought the University’s “Study at NCUT” initiative to a major national platform for international engagement.
