Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Youth have always been and remain the focus of public policy in any country and, of course, Uzbekistan, in which they account for over 18 million people or more than 50% of the republic’s population.

In recent years in Uzbekistan, the creation of the necessary conditions to ensure the rights and interests of the younger generation, their receipt of quality education and decent work has been identified as a priority of state policy, and a lot of systematic work is being carried out in this direction.

A clear confirmation is that over the past short period, over 100 acts of legislation relating to the youth sector have been adopted and are being consistently implemented.

In order to consistently implement policies in the field of youth, the Youth Union of Uzbekistan was formed, the Youth Parliament of Uzbekistan was created, and the Concept “Youth of Uzbekistan - 2025” and the Presidential Decree “On the State Program for the Implementation of the Strategy “Uzbekistan - 2030” were adopted in the “Year of Support for Youth and business"

Touching upon the topic of cooperation in the field of youth policy with the People’s Republic of China, it seems promising to pay special attention to academic and student exchanges, cultural and sports events.

In particular, Confucius Institutes in Tashkent and Samarkand are actively operating in Uzbekistan. Today, these institutes admit more than 2,000 students annually.

According to the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, the number of students from Uzbekistan in China reaches more than 6.5 thousand and this figure is growing every year.

In this regard, it is appropriate to mention the state visit of the Head of Uzbekistan to China on 24 January 2024, during which a solid package of documents was signed, including bilateral agreements to strengthen cooperation in the educational field.

Thus, as a result of the visit, 70 bilateral agreements on cooperation between educational institutions of the two countries were signed, agreements were reached on the organization of joint programs, thanks to which more than 300 Uzbek students will have the opportunity to study at the best Chinese universities.

The parties also signed the Beijing Declaration on Cooperation in the Field of Higher Education, which stipulates the creation of the Uzbek-Chinese Association of Universities, the joint implementation of innovative projects and research, and the organization of summer schools and camps.

It is impossible not to note the great success of the first Uzbek-Chinese educational forum in Beijing, as well as the exhibition of the tourism potential of Uzbekistan in Shanghai, which took place on the eve of the visit.

The educational forum gave great impetus to the comprehensive expansion of cooperation between the two countries in the field of higher education and taking it to a new level.

At the same time, the Heads of the two states pointed out the need to continue the holding of mutual cultural days, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, tourism fairs, which has become a good tradition, as well as to strengthen exchanges between youth organizations. In particular, it was proposed to hold the first joint Youth Innovation Forum.

Activating youth contacts will contribute to further strengthening friendship and mutual understanding, revealing the creative and intellectual potential of the younger generation of the two countries.

In this vein, the deep thought of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev is very relevant, that active and energetic youth are the personification of the future of the country and our good hopes.

Thus, cooperation between China and Uzbekistan in the field of youth policy is an important element of friendship and partnership. Both countries are committed to ensuring the development and prosperity of young people by providing them with support and opportunities to realize their potential.

Shavkat Alimbekov – leading researcher at the International Institute of Central Asia