To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Xi’an Shiyou University (XSYU) and on the occasion of the Third China-Uzbekistan Forum on Local Cooperation and the 10th Silk Road International Exposition, the University held the launch ceremony for the commemorative first-day cover marking the commencement of construction of its Uzbekistan Campus (China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University) on the morning of May 22 in the second-floor lobby of the Library at the Huyi Campus. Faculty members, students, and distinguished guests gathered to witness this landmark moment in the University's history of international educational cooperation.
The ceremony was attended by Akhmadjon Soliyev, Executive Vice Rector of Samarkand State University; Wang Xiaoyou, Chairman of Uzbekistan Datang International Investment Co., Ltd.; Wang Ming, Deputy General Manager of the Xi’an Branch of China Post Group Co., Ltd.; Chang Jiang, Secretary of the CPC Xi’an Shiyou University Committee; and Wang Jinfu, President of Xi'an Shiyou University. The event was presided over by Cheng Yongqing, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Xi’an Shiyou University Committee. Representatives from the Office of the CPC Committee and the President, the Publicity Department of the CPC Committee, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, the School of Petroleum Engineering, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, the School of Computer Science, the School of New Energy, the School of Humanities, the School of International Education, together with faculty and student representatives, also attended the ceremony.
In his address, Chang Jiang noted that the Uzbekistan Campus of Xi’an Shiyou University (China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University) was the first educational cooperation project formally signed and implemented following the Second China-Uzbekistan Forum on Local Cooperation in 2025. With the support of the relevant educational and energy authorities of Uzbekistan, Xi’an Shiyou University has worked closely with Samarkand State University and Uzbekistan Datang International Investment Co., Ltd. to steadily advance the project.
He stated that the commemorative first-day cover, as a unique historical keepsake, will bear witness to the development of China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University while serving as a lasting symbol of friendship between the two universities and the peoples of China and Uzbekistan. He expressed the hope that the project would achieve sustainable development, take deep root along the Silk Road, promote mutual development and shared benefits, and become a model of China-Uzbekistan cooperation in higher education in the new era.
Soliyev spoke highly of the trilateral cooperation. He noted that Samarkand, situated along the historic Silk Road, has enjoyed profound cultural and historical ties with China for centuries. The joint establishment of China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University, he said, will bring together high-quality educational resources from both countries and cultivate a large number of internationally minded professionals in the energy sector for Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region.
In his remarks, Wang Xiaoyou said that the joint establishment of China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University not only demonstrates the company's commitment to fulfilling its social responsibilities, but also represents a strategic initiative to leverage the geographical advantages of the Silk Road, deepen cooperation in energy education across Central Asia, and facilitate regional industrial upgrading. He pledged that the company would continue to provide strong financial and operational support for the University, laying a solid foundation for its sustainable development and contributing to the establishment of a first-class energy-focused university in Central Asia.
During the ceremony, Chang Jiang, Wang Jinfu, Cheng Yongqing, Akhmadjon Soliyev, Wang Xiaoyou and Wang Ming jointly unveiled the commemorative first-day cover and its exclusive commemorative postmark celebrating the commencement of construction of China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University. The commemorative cover integrates elements of Silk Road heritage, the characteristics of the energy industry, and the educational traditions of the two partner universities, vividly reflecting the cultural exchanges between the ancient cities of Xi'an and Samarkand across time and space.
Representatives of the partner institutions also signed the commemorative first-day covers, which were subsequently mailed to Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, leaders of the partner institutions jointly presented commemorative first-day covers to faculty and student representatives. Dedicated postmarking and mailing stations were set up at the venue, allowing participants to apply the exclusive commemorative postmark, write personal messages, and mail the covers on site, sending their best wishes and treasured campus memories along the Silk Road.
The establishment of the Uzbekistan Campus represents a major initiative by Xi’an Shiyou University to actively support the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, implement the outcomes of the Second China-Central Asia Summit, align with China’s national strategy of building a strong energy sector, and advance the internationalization of Chinese higher education. With the guidance and support of the relevant Chinese authorities, together with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, the completed project will become the first overseas campus established by a Chinese university in Uzbekistan as an independent legal entity.
Specially designed and issued by Xi’an Shiyou University, the commemorative first-day cover is themed around China-Uzbekistan educational cooperation, energy collaboration, and Silk Road culture. Incorporating cultural elements from both countries together with symbols of the petroleum industry, it commemorates the historic launch of the University's Uzbekistan Campus while organically integrating philatelic culture, petroleum culture, and Silk Road heritage, thereby enriching the University’s campus culture.
The issuance of the commemorative first-day cover marks a significant milestone in the construction of China-Uzbekistan Petroleum University. Looking ahead, Xi’an Shiyou University will continue to advance the construction and operation of its Uzbekistan Campus, deepen international educational exchanges and cooperation, cultivate high-caliber professionals for the global energy industry, and write a new chapter of openness, cooperation, and people-to-people connectivity along the Silk Road.
