From September 12 to 19, the 2026 Training Workshop for Young Think Tank Fellows from Uzbekistan was held in Shanghai. Organized by Shanghai International Studies University and hosted by the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, the workshop brought together 14 representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the Center for Development Strategy, and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. Through thematic lectures and field visits to communities, cultural centers, AI research institutions, innovative enterprises, and hospitals, the participants explored Shanghai's approaches and achievements in grassroots governance and technological innovation. The workshop coincided with the 34th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan and the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership, providing a platform for face-to-face exchanges among young scholars of both countries.
During the workshop, experts from Tongji University, Fudan University, and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics delivered lectures on topics including the development of China's new-type think tanks, the landscape of artificial intelligence, the vision and practice of the four Global Initiatives, Shanghai's digital urban governance, and the economic rationale behind China's 15th Five-Year Plan. The Uzbek delegation also visited neighborhoods and frontline institutions across Shanghai, gaining firsthand experience of community governance featuring diverse partnerships under Party building leadership, inclusive public cultural services, the innovation ecosystem of the AI industry, and practical cooperation in healthcare between China and Central Asian countries.
At the closing ceremony, Farida Islomova, First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, and Asilkhuzha Murodkhuzhaev, Junior Specialist of the Ministry, spoke on behalf of the participants. They extended sincere gratitude to the organizers for their thoughtful planning and attentive arrangements, noting that the workshop not only strengthened China-Uzbekistan friendship but also gave the participants a comprehensive understanding of China's practical experience in high-quality development, local digital governance, scientific and technological innovation, and community-level social governance. They added that these insights offer useful references for Uzbekistan's economic transformation, think tank development, and the expansion of practical cooperation between the two countries.
Friendship knows no distance, and close neighbors are dearer than distant relatives. The workshop has enhanced mutual understanding and knowledge of each other's national conditions among the younger generation of both countries, and laid a solid foundation for regular and institutionalized cooperation between think tanks and academic institutions of China and Uzbekistan.
