Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon was awarded an honorary professorship by Peking University on Tuesday in a ceremony highlighting growing academic and people-to-people exchanges between China and Tajikistan.

During the ceremony, He Guangcai, chair of the Peking University Council, conferred a commemorative plaque, while Gong Qihuang, the university's president, presented Rahmon with the honorary certificate.

The honor recognizes Rahmon's role as a national leader and seasoned statesman in advancing bilateral friendship, promoting regional peace and development, and supporting reforms in global and regional governance, according to the university.

Since 2005, Peking University has admitted a total of 47 students from Tajikistan, with six currently studying under Chinese government scholarships, Rahmon said in his speech.

During his visit to China, scheduled to conclude on Thursday, the two sides are expected to sign an agreement to establish a new Confucius Institute at Dangara State University, adding to existing platforms for cooperation, Rahmon said.

Rustamov Badriddin, a sophomore majoring in sociology at Peking University who studied Chinese at the Confucius Institute at Tajik National University, said the number of Tajik students at top Chinese universities remains limited.

"We hope more Tajik students will be encouraged by the president's visit to study in China and enroll in more universities in the future," he said, adding that universities in his home country have been promoting Chinese-language learning and motivating students to pursue further studies in China.

According to Rahmon, 13 universities now offer Chinese-language majors, while a Luban Workshop — a hands-on training center for technical education — has been established at Tajik Technical University.

Liu Qi, a doctoral candidate at the university whose research focuses on Central Asia, said the expansion of student exchange programs and the planned Confucius Institute would provide substantial momentum for youth exchanges.

"President Rahmon's visit sends a strong signal of friendship and helps Chinese students better understand neighboring countries' history, culture and development," she said.

In his speech, Rahmon also expressed hope that more Chinese universities would establish campuses in Tajikistan and deepen cooperation in fields such as engineering, natural sciences and agriculture.

"Agriculture is a highly promising area for collaboration," Liu said, adding that her dissertation will feature agricultural development in Central Asia.

For instance, China has introduced advanced agricultural technologies, including drip irrigation systems and newly developed cotton seeds, at a cotton plantation established in Tajikistan by a company based in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

China's achievements in agricultural development are increasingly being shared with Central Asian countries, helping boost local agriculture and strengthen regional cooperation, she added.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn