Wang Di, the Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will pay a state visit to China in early July. During the visit, the leaders of the two countries will have an in-depth exchange of views on China-Kuwait relations, cooperation in various fields, international and regional issues of common interest, which will jointly direct the development of the two countries' relationship in the new era. The two sides will also sign a series of cooperation documents. In addition, His Highness the Amir will also attend the opening ceremony of the 8th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and deliver a speech as the representative of Arab world.

This is the seventh visit to China by His Highness the Amir, who is also the first Arab leader that pay a state visit to China since Xi Jinping be re-elected as the president of China. Thus the visit will become a new milestone in the history of China-Kuwait relations and will inevitably enhance the strategic connotation of bilateral relations, raise the level of pragmatic bilateral cooperation and have a lasting and far-reaching impact on the development of bilateral relations.

Kuwait was the first Gulf Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with China. The two countries enjoy traditional friendship, have mutual respect and support and share broad common interests, which has constantly drawn closer their friendship. In recent years, the high-level China-Kuwait exchanges have become increasingly frequent. Zhang Gaoli, the then Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier, and Yang Jiechi, President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, have successively visited Kuwait, His Highness the Prime Minister Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the then Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and other Kuwaiti leaders visited China. The results of China-Kuwait cooperation are increasingly fruitful in the framework of the joint-construction of the "Belt and Road". The cooperation on "Silk City and Five Islands" development project is steadily progressing, while both sides at the working level are keeping in close communication and coordination.

The bilateral trade has grown steadily. China is currently Kuwait's largest import source and the second largest export market. The trade volume between the two countries in 2017 has reached $12 billion with year-on-year growth of 28.5 percent, while the trade volume in the first quarter of 2018 has reached $3.995 billion, with year-on-year growth of 54.83 percent. Kuwait is one of the most important crude oil suppliers for China. In 2017, China imported more than 18 million tons of crude oil from Kuwait, worth $7.1 billion. China has implemented 80 contracting projects in Kuwait, covering oil field services, exploration, refining, housing, infrastructure, telecommunications and other fields, with a total contract value of $14.9 billion. The two countries have also witnessed flourishing cultural exchanges, close contacts between the youth, media, culture, and art troupes. The upcoming Chinese Culture Center in Kuwait will further enhance the level of cultural exchanges and increase the civil understanding and friendship between the two countries. It is believed that His Highness the Amir's state visit to China will inject new impetus into the China-Kuwait relationship, and is of great significance in further pushing bilateral cooperation into a new era.

The 8th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum will be held on July 10th in Beijing, China, under the theme "jointly building the 'Belt and Road' and promoting peaceful development, working together to enhance the China-Arab strategic partnership in the new era". Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and other Arab foreign ministers or representatives, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States will attend the meeting. His Highness the Amir will attend the opening ceremony of the meeting and deliver a speech as the representative of Arab world.

Since its establishment in 2004, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has developed into a major platform for China and Arab countries to conduct collective dialogue and pragmatic cooperation. China-Arab strategic mutual trust continues to increase, China supports Arab countries in their own efforts to explore development paths and development models that suit their own national conditions, and support Arab people's just cause. Arab countries also give China valuable support on issues involving China's core interests and major concerns.

In June 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Arab countries make joint efforts in the construction of the 'Belt and Road' at the opening ceremony of the 6th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which has received positive responses from Arab countries. Driven by the 'Belt and Road' initiative and promoted by the forum's mechanisms, China-Arab economic and trade cooperation has been closer, cultural exchanges flourished, peace and security cooperation deepened. China is now the Arab world's second-largest trading partner, the bilateral trade volume between them was more than $190 billion in 2017, with year-on-year increase of 11.9 percent. Seven Arab countries, including Kuwait, have become the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which has approved 4 projects involving Arab countries with a total loan commitment of $660 million. The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has played an increasingly important role in promoting China-Arab strategic cooperation in the 21st century.

At present, the international situation continues to undergo profound and complex changes, the world economy is still in a period of profound adjustment, geopolitical factors have become more prominent, and local turmoil has cropped up. Both China and Arab countries are developing countries, both are at an important development stage and shoulder the common mission of realizing the nation's rejuvenation of and the country's prosperity and strength, which gives them a profound foundation and broad prospects for cooperation. The 8th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum is at exactly the right time, and of great significance to further consolidating the traditional friendship between China and Arab countries, advancing the construction of the 'Belt and Road', promoting the building of a new type of international relations and a community of common destiny, and strengthening the institutional building of the forum.

We believe that the convening of the 8th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum will continuously deepen China-Arab collective dialogue and pragmatic cooperation, and will also push China-Kuwait relations to a higher level. China-Kuwait relations are now standing at a new historical starting point, where the two sides will use the joint-construction of the 'Belt and Road' as a chance to continuously expand pragmatic cooperation in various fields, implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote the integration between China's 'Belt and Road' initiative and Kuwait's '2035 National Vision', and write a new chapter in the friendly cooperation relationship between China and Kuwait.

By Wang Di, the Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait