Kuwait's Emir to arrive in China tomorrow for three-day official visit

By
Zafar Hussain
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Kuwait's flag at the London Olympic Stadium, London, Britain, July 27, 2012, and China's flag in front of the Great Wall of China, Beijing, China, August 18, 2007. REUTERS/Murad Sezer and David Gray/Files
 

BEIJING: The Emir of Kuwait intends to travel to China on a three-day state visit at the invitation of Xi Jinping, the hosting country's president, from July 7 to 10, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

President Xi will hold a welcoming ceremony and banquet for Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir, during the visit, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, who added that both leaders are expected to attend the opening ceremony of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) slated to take place on July 10 in the capital city.

The Emir's upcoming visit to China is his second one after a nine-year gap.

Lu said the two heads-of-state plan to hold a bilateral meeting and jointly attend the signing ceremony of the cooperation documents. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, he noted, adding that the Sino-Kuwait relations have developed rapidly over recent years.

“The two countries understand and support each other on their core interests and major concerns. Kuwait was one of the first countries to sign the Belt and Road Initiative [BRI] cooperation document with China," Lu stated.

The spokesperson explained that the two sides have achieved remarkable results in their cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, investment, financing, and infrastructure, while the humanities exchanges are active as well.

“China is looking forward to further consolidating the traditional friendship between China and Kuwait through this important visit, enhancing political mutual trust, deepening cooperation between the two countries in the framework of building the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting China-Kuwait relations to a new level,” he said.

Lu remarked that Kuwait is an active participant in the CASCF and that his country believes that the forthcoming visit is of great significance to enhancing the level of collective cooperation between China and the Arab states under the new framework.