A Study on the Policy Pathways for Promoting Common Prosperity in Western Regions through China-Kazakhstan Vocational Education Cooperation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhve.202516511

Author(s)

Fang Han1,2, Liguo Li1

Affiliation(s)

1.European Studies Center of Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China 2.School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China

Abstract

This study examines how to provide endogenous impetus for the common prosperity goal in China's western regions through deepening vocational education cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. To promote common prosperity in the western regions through such cooperation, the study identifies challenges such as vague policy positioning, mismatch between practice and demand, and lack of safeguard mechanisms, which can lead to cooperation becoming a mere "image project" with insufficient practical results. To address these challenges, the study proposes a results-oriented policy pathway: in terms of policy promotion, a "demand-side reverse project initiation" mechanism should be established to accurately match the industrial gaps in Kazakhstan; in terms of policy practice, cooperation projects should be integrated into the county-level scenarios in the western regions to ensure that skills training is linked to income increase targets; and in terms of policy safeguard, an innovative financial model of "risk bottoming-up + profit sharing" should be introduced, including cross-border employment funds and skill appreciation options. The ultimate goal is to form a virtuous cycle of "what the industry lacks-what the trainees learn-how much income increases," upgrading China-Kazakhstan vocational education cooperation from "blood transfusion" support to a mutually beneficial "common prosperity engine." China-Kazakhstan vocational education cooperation is a new win-win growth point under the Belt and Road Initiative between the two countries and a key path to cultivate "blood-making" functions and achieve high-quality development in the western regions.

Keywords

Western Regions; Common Prosperity; "Blood-Making Function"; Policy Pathways

References

[1] Li Hezhang, Lin Songyue, Liu Jin. A Study on Higher Education Cooperation between China and Countries along the "Belt and Road" over the Past 70 Years [J]. Journal of Hebei Normal University (Educational Science Edition), 2019, 21(05): 79-88. [2] Li Xiaoying. The Three Pillars of China's Higher Education Going Global: Language Services, Cultural Identity, and Policy Communication [J]. Heilongjiang Higher Education Research, 2019, 37(08): 49-53. [3] Xu Xiangmei. The Cultural Connotations of China's Modernization and People-to-People Bonding along the "Belt and Road"—Taking China-Kazakhstan Cultural Cooperation as an Example [J]. Siberian Studies, 2025, 52(03): 81-93. [4] Leskina N, Sabzalieva E. Constructing a Eurasian Higher Education Region: "Points of Correspondence" between Russia's Eurasian Economic Union and China's Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia [J]. Eurasian Geography and Economics, 2021(19): 1-29. [5] Zhang Jianguo, Huang Zhixin. Analysis of the Construction of the China-Kazakhstan Border Free Trade Zone [J]. Journal of Urumqi Vocational University, 2006, 15(1): 4. [6] Qi Xiaokun. Prerequisites, Countermeasures, and Risks of Higher Education Alignment between China and Kazakhstan [D]. Dalian University of Technology [2025-10-31].