Symposium highlights ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, widens horizons
By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: The Embassy of China to Kuwait held a symposium on Sunday entitled “High-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” Initiative between China and Kuwait.” In his remarks, Liu Xiang, the Chinese Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, said the joint building of the “Belt and Road” Initiative is a major pillar of a community with a shared future for mankind, adding that “over the past decade, China has signed Belt and Road Initiative cooperative documents with more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations.
A multi-level infrastructure network is being formed based on the “six corridors, six roads, multiple countries, and multiple ports framework.” He indicated that the joint construction of the initiative promotes the advancement of Chinese-Arab and Chinese-Kuwaiti relations to further horizons, noting that the initiative received a warm welcome and a positive response from the Arab countries immediately after its launch, as Kuwait was the first Arab country to sign a cooperation document with China.
“China and Kuwait have established a strategic partnership, and my country has been Kuwait’s largest trading partner for seven consecutive years, with bilateral trade reaching a record level of $31.48 billion in 2022. In addition, Kuwait has become the seventh largest source of crude oil imports to China, while China is the second largest source of foreign investment in Kuwait.” Xiang welcomed Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General Supreme Council for Planning & Development of Kuwait, to attend the third “Belt and Road” Forum for International Cooperation which will be held in Beijing soon.
He pointed out that the symposium is a step to implement the outcomes of the meeting between the Chinese President and the Kuwaiti Crown Prince, where the two sides must make joint efforts in strengthen policy coordination, improving infrastructure connectivity, deepen business communication, accelerate money circulation, and promoting peoples’ understanding, affirming that his country is willing to work with the Kuwaiti side to advance the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” in the long term, and create a better future for both countries.
On his part, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Dr. Khaled Mahdi, confirmed that Chinese-Kuwaiti relations are distinguished, adding, “Kuwait was the first country to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative, after which it signed many agreements, especially during the recent visit of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Regarding the seriousness of the Kuwaiti side on the initiative, he stressed that the recent agreements related to the important vital sectors, which are part of Kuwait Vision 2035, which were signed, made Kuwait serious about the implementation of these projects, and this is what Kuwait will move towards.
Kuwait will focus on executing the agreements and implementing the agreed-upon projects and programs. He noted that cultural diplomacy is a big topic for the Chinese and Kuwaiti sides, adding, “Cultural exchange is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and it enhances interconnection based on the existing idea of the initiative. I found that the initiative is based on a mutual benefit, a win-win strategy, which has had successive successes in the 10 years since its launch.
The foundation of the initiative is that there should be a benefit for both parties, and today’s symposium shows and refers to the philosophy on which the initiative was based.” “At the beginning, I thought that the issue of the initiative was only logistical, but it turned out that there are other parts that are related to the interconnection in this global project,” Mahdi concluded.
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