Cooperation Between China and the Central Asian Countries in the Field of Education and Science Between the 2000-2010th Years

In the past few years there was a growth in development of cooperation between China and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) in the field of education. China uses the educational and cultural cooperation to realise its national interests and obtain influence in the region. Although countries are seen as equal partners, Central Asian countries act as recipients of China’s initiatives and help. However, a study which could combine and show the correlation between China’s soft power, its domination in the region of Central Asia and cooperation in the field of education has not done before. This study aims at the investigation of the connection between educational projects in the region and different spheres of Chinese national interests. The content analysis method will be used to study all the examples of cooperation in the field of education and to find the connection with other fields. Key words: China, Central Asia, education cooperation, soft power