Memorandum Covers Cooperation in Fields of Civilizational Dialogue, Arabic Studies, Translation, Artificial Intelligence, and Scholarships

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) has signed a cooperation memorandum with Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) of the People’s Republic of China, with the aim of implementing joint initiatives in the fields of scientific research, translation between Arabic and Chinese, scholarships, as well as the establishment of academic platforms for civilizational dialogue between China and the Islamic world.

The Memorandum was signed on Monday, 28 September 2026, at the BLCU’s headquarters in Beijing by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, and Dr. Duan Peng, President of BLCU, as part of Dr. AlMalik’s visit to the University at the head of an ICESCO delegation.

The Memorandum’s action plan includes several key initiatives, most notably the establishment of a joint Chair for civilizational dialogue, aimed at drawing on the BLCU’s academic expertise in Chinese civilizational thought; the launch of a joint program for translation between Arabic, Chinese, English, and French; a youth capacity-building program; and a project on artificial intelligence and the Arabic language. It also includes the publication of a Chinese-language edition of the ICESCO Multilingual Data and Artificial Intelligence Dictionary.

The Memorandum also provides for cooperation in promoting academic research and developing joint knowledge platforms; implementing joint research projects and forums focusing on civilizational exchange between China and the Islamic world; supporting youth exchange and skills development programs; launching a scholarship program; and advancing research into language models for artificial intelligence, in addition to cooperation in the field of mental health.

Following the signing ceremony, Dr. Salim AlMalik stressed, during his bilateral meeting with Dr. Duan Peng, the importance of the partnership with BLCU, one of China’s oldest universities specializing in culture and teaching. The University is known as a “the mini United Nations” due to the diversity of its student body, which comes from countries around the world. The two sides also discussed ways to implement the programs and initiatives set out in the Memorandum and advance their partnership towards closer cooperation in pursuit of their shared objectives.

The ICESCO DG also held a separate meeting with several university professors to discuss practical ways of implementing the initiatives and programs undertaken by ICESCO and BLCU.

It is worth noting that, since its establishment, BLCU has been committed to promoting the Chinese language and culture worldwide. It is one of the leading universities specializing in languages and the world’s largest center for Chinese language teaching.