Discourse analysis of different languages of newspapers in Kazakhstan reveals that Kazakhstanis' views toward China and the Chinese are divided. The official discourse in both state-sponsored Russian and Kazakh newspapers is in accordance with the country's policy toward further engagement with their rising Chinese neighbor.However, negative stereotypes of China and the Chinese, as well as sinophobia, are pervasive in private Kazakh language newspapers. Private Russian newspapers have a more nuanced view toward China, with a hidden inclination toward being critical of that country and its people. Although the majority of these societal voices do not have a direct impact on changing the national policies of Kazakhstan, they are important in the sense that Kazakhstan's ruling elite must continue to gauge social views and to placate differences in order to secure the stability and legitimacy of the regime.

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seems to have exhibited its goodwill by aiming to integrate its neighbors peacefully and cooperatively into joint economic prosperity; nevertheless, there are various concerns about the implications of China's mounting influence in Central Asia. This article attempts to compare the results of several small-scale surveys conducted among university students in

Over the past few decades, China has been engaged in development projects and soft power initiatives in many regions of the world. In some cases, the perceptions are distinctly positive. The negative perceptions are at times accompanied by protests and other forms of dissent. Several quantitative and qualitative studies have been done in this regard in Greater Central Asia (GCA), but comparisons across GCA countries are rare. This paper fills the void. Survey analysis, desktop research of materials of various languages and qualitative interviews were used. In particularly, we present a unique set of primary survey data conducted among university students in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Our findings are generally in line with public opinion research's findings in other parts of the world where China's surging influence is felt by locals. While locals see the positive contribution from China to their societies, there are also various level of awareness of China's influence in different spheres. If China continues to interact more through the bazaars and road constructions, it will embed itself deeper into the local Central Asian imaginations. The future elites of GCA might not necessarily see the rising influence of China in the framework of "great game" competition between Russia and China. Rather, China's relations with GCA is just back to a kind of "new normal" which both regions had enjoyed back in the 19 th century.

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) test is a standardized Chinese language proficiency test targeting non-native speakers. Compared with other Chinese proficiency tests, the HSK has the largest test population in the world and has attracted the most academic research. This article examines how the HSK was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and the issues facing home-based HSK test, the so-called HSK Home Edition. The results of a primary survey showed that the majority of test centres in Europe opted to implement the traditional paper-based format of the HSK during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the availability of the HSK Home Edition. Concerns related to technical and security issues were among the major factors that hindered successful implementation of the Home Edition. Of the test centres that utilised the Home Edition, they rated their overall experience as satisfactory. This finding suggests that concerns relating to technical and security issues associated with the adoption of the Home Edition may be less daunting than anticipated. Additional training for test centre staff could improve the implementation of the Home Edition.