Kazakh minister hails China’s education strategy as model for bilateral cooperation

Kazakhstan's Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek has praised China's advances in education and technology, calling them a model of strategic planning that is driving deeper academic cooperation between the two countries.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Nurbek highlighted how China's long-term investment in human capital has fueled what he described as the Chinese miracle.

"I think China in the last two decades at least, has been this really good showcase of how this strategic thinking, strategic planning, very careful execution, well, compared to countries like our country, it's huge investments. The Chinese miracle, we see at the moment, is actually fueled by this clear focus on human capital. It's fueled by clear focus on education, research and careful, focused approach I would say," said the official.

Kazakhstan is emerging as a regional education hub in Central Asia. Nearly 30 international universities and branch campuses now operate in the country, including China's Beijing Language and Culture University and Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Around 35,000 international students study in Kazakhstan, including about 2,000 from China. Nurbek emphasized the expanding academic and scientific cooperation between the two countries.

"We are now negotiating with the very famous, Xi'an Jiaotong (University) and Xi'an Polytechnic University. Very strong, very solid, research-intensive university, Nanjing University, several other universities. And, of course, City University of Hong Kong. It's the very first university from Hong Kong to come to Kazakhstan two years ago in partnership with Satbayev University. The second Lu Ban model workshop is opening here in April in just a few weeks in Astana, based on Eurasian National University, with big focus on robotics and AI. We now have over 2,000 students from China studying in Kazakhstan. Because we said hey, we have some really good universities," he said.

As China's annual "two sessions" opened in Beijing, Nurbek pointed to Kazakhstan's afforestation drive as a parallel to China's five‑year planning approach, highlighting shared priorities in strategic development.

"There were large, forest fires last year and several years ago in Kazakhstan. So we lost a lot of forests. So now we are having partnership with Kozybayev University in Petropavlovsk, Shakarim University in Semey in Abai region, working with this University of Forestry to create a program to recover our forests as fast as we can. Our President launched similar programs several years ago to plant two billion trees. The draft of the new constitution declares human capital research, innovation, science, education and culture as new key values and strategic priorities of Kazakhstan. And it actually resonates with big sessions in China. Same story, human capital, research, innovation. More and more budget and resources allocated to push that new breakthrough innovation agenda to make China become this cutting-edge country of research and innovation," he said.

The "two sessions," referring to the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), opened in Beijing on March 4 and 5. The blueprint of the 15th Five‑Year Plan (2026‑2030), which maps China's priorities for the coming years, has been placed firmly in the spotlight.

Kazakh minister hails China’s education strategy as model for bilateral cooperation

The United Arab Emirates' decision to withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) signals a broader strategic recalibration as the Gulf producer seeks to diversify its energy export routes and reduce vulnerability to regional chokepoints, according to a Middle East affairs expert.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Tuesday it will withdraw from OPEC, marking the end of its decades-long alignment with the cartel.

Against this backdrop, the UAE is actively exploring alternative logistics pathways to safeguard its energy exports. A key focus is developing overland connections to bypass the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz.

"The UAE's primary energy loading and unloading ports are currently located in the Gulf region, within the Strait of Hormuz. However, given the increasingly uncertain security situation around the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE has gradually come to realize that its existing transportation system -- which relies on transit through the Strait of Hormuz to connect with international energy markets -- will be difficult to sustain over the long term. Consequently, the UAE hopes to establish overland connections linking its main inland energy production areas with the Fujairah Port, where crude oil can be loaded onto vessels for export to international energy markets," said Wang Jin, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Northwest University in China.

While the strategic rationale is clear, implementation faces significant hurdles. Wang noted that infrastructure constraints could limit the effectiveness of this pivot, particularly given the UAE's ambitious production targets.

"However, this strategy involves two key challenges. First, the existing overland pipeline infrastructure cannot fully meet the UAE's so-called energy transport capacity requirements. According to current UAE projections, the country's average daily energy production may reach approximately 5 million barrels in the future. Yet the transport capacity of the existing pipelines falls far short of this anticipated volume. Therefore, the UAE must consider how to further expand the capacity of its overland energy pipeline network in the future, and whether new pipelines should be constructed to connect with the Fujairah Port," he said.

Beyond pipeline capacity, long-term success hinges on port infrastructure and sustainable financing -- questions that remain unresolved as the UAE weighs its next moves, according to Wang.

"More importantly, as the Fujairah Port -- a deep-water port -- gains increasing strategic significance, the UAE must also consider whether the port should be expanded and its capacity upgraded to accommodate more vessels for loading and unloading energy-related products. Thus, for the UAE, critical questions remain: how to develop effective planning, how to advance infrastructure construction, and where to secure funding for related projects. Consequently, although the UAE currently has proposals to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, whether and when these plans can be realized will likely require a long and complex process ahead," he said.

UAE's OPEC exit reflects strategic shift amid energy security concerns: expert