Abstract: Central Asian countries are currently at different stages of higher education development (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at the universal stage， Tajikistan at the mass stage and Uzbekistan at the elite stage) and have different development needs. The investments on higher education are varied and lower than the international average. Also， the cultivation of high-level talents is poorer compared to the other levels， and the enrollment in postgraduate programs varies significantly across different disciplines. To establish an “Educational Silk Route” involving these countries， China may need to address potential differences and set up multi-layer collaboration mechanisms. Given the development differences among the four countries， the cooperation with central Asian countries in postgraduate education should be expanded， the talents cooperation in such areas as energy sources， information technology， transportation， textile， tourism and agriculture should be developed， and the exploration of diversified cooperation channels for Chinese and Central Asian colleges and universities should be encouraged.

Key words: Central Asia, higher education, higher education cooperation, education community