By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: The Chinese Embassy held a reception on Sunday on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the ceremony, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Aiban revealed that during HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's upcoming visit to China to attend the opening ceremony of the 2023 Asian Games, numerous significant agreements are set to be signed.
Aiban added such agreements highlight the depth of cooperation between the two countries in areas encompassing infrastructure, industries, housing and labor cities development, emphasizing that such forthcoming high-level visits serve as an initial step toward a productive collaboration in the future. Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Zhang Jianwei announced China’s preparations to receive HH the Crown Prince at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. "I wish His Highness' visit to China a great success, injecting strong impetus to the China-Kuwait strategic partnership.
I also wish Kuwaiti athletes good results at the upcoming Asian Games,” he said. The ambassador said his country has remained the largest trading partner of Kuwait for years, with bilateral trade volume exceeding $31.48 billion last year. "Chinese enterprises have engaged in over 80 major projects in Kuwait. Nowadays, a growing number of Kuwaiti friends have traveled to China.
What's more, the first Chinese cultural center in the Gulf region has been completed in Kuwait and held a soft opening ceremony today. It will become an important window for the people of Kuwait to understand Chinese culture and feel the charm of China,” he revealed. Zhang said this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 5th anniversary of the China-Kuwait strategic partnership, where Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with China, and also the first in the Middle East to sign Belt and Road cooperation documents with China.
He affirmed his country’s keenness to continue to work with Kuwait to enhance the synergy of development strategies and advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, in a bid to make cooperation more fruitful and productive. "I hope the Chinese enterprises in Kuwait and our fellow Chinese will continue to make more contributions to China-Kuwait practical cooperation and our people-to-people friendship,” Zhang said.