By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: The Embassy of China to Kuwait, in cooperation with the National Library and National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, inaugurated on Tuesday the "Chinese Cultural Festival: Cuisine and Movies" to celebrate the historical diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and Kuwait. During his speech at the opening ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Zhang Jianwei said despite being thousands of miles away, China and Kuwait have maintained friendly relations between their peoples, noting he IS impressed by Kuwaitis' great passion for China and their interest in Chinese culture.

"Fifty-one years ago, Kuwait became the first Arab state in the Gulf to establish diplomatic relations with China. In the ensuing years, China and Kuwait have walked hand in hand and shown mutual understanding and support. We have conducted fruitful cooperation in various fields and made our friendship grow firmer," he said.

"The China-Arab summit and the China-GCC summit, both to be hosted next month, are expected to be historic gatherings between China and Arab and GCC states to exchange experiences in development and promote win-win cooperation. China stands ready to work with the rest of the world to promote humanity's shared values of peace, development and democracy and build a community with a shared future for mankind," Zhang said.

The ambassador affirmed that the diversity of Chinese culture is the result of China's commitment to respecting and carrying forward the fine traditional culture throughout its 5,000-year history, adding that China is glad to share its experience in development.

Secretary-General of NCCAL Issa Al-Ansari praised the strategic relationship between the two countries, saying they are cooperating at all levels in the political, educational and cultural fields. "This event demonstrates the Chinese presence as a multicultural and multinational country. Its geographical and population numbers present to the world a diverse civilized model that all the people of the East can be proud of," he said. Ansari said Kuwait believes that China is a supporter of peace and a great strategic partner, calling on China, through its embassy in Kuwait, to have more cultural events through cooperation with NCCAL.

Director-General of the National Library Sheikha Rasha Nayef Jaber Al-Sabah stressed the importance of Kuwaiti-Chinese relations, which are close in various fields, including cultural, commercial, industrial, technology and others. She stressed the keenness of Kuwait National Library to highlight the culture of Kuwait to the world, present the different cultures of the world and bring everything useful to the local audience.

The three-day festival witnessed a presentation of a variety of Chinese foods such as jiaozi, Chinese dumplings, spicy chicken and spiced beef. Visitors can also experience other elements of traditional Chinese culture like Taiji, Cha Dao, calligraphy and folk music, in addition to trying on the traditional Chinese Hanfu dress. There is also a photo exhibition showing the past decade that presents the historic changes China has undergone in the new era, as well as Chinese movies.