Beijing reiterates backing for GCC

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 12: Kuwait and China held official talks in the Chinese city of Wuxi on Wednesday morning, copresided over by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al- Sabah and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The talks came within the framework of the Kuwaiti minister’s official visit to China, heading a Kuwaiti delegation that comprised a number of senior officials.

During the meeting, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to the government and people of China. He touted firm and close relations between Kuwait and China, underlining that it is important to promote bilateral cooperation and mutual coordination to serve common interests, while upgrading relations to new horizons.

He added that Kuwaiti-Sino relations have been greatly developed over 50 years in various cooperative domains, pointing out harmony between Kuwait Vision 2035 and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The foreign minister boasted that Kuwait is the first Gulf and Arab country to have signed a memo of understanding for cooperation with China in the Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched in September 2013. He also spoke highly of existing cooperation between both nations at international fora, hoping that this could continue at all levels. On his part, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed the greetings of Chinese President Xi Jinping to His Highness the Amir, government and people of Kuwait. He said his country is proud of close friendly relations and existing strategic partnership with Kuwait in all fields.

He added that amid the multiple and major changes the world is undergoing, Sino-Kuwaiti relations of all-out strategic partnership have been becoming firmer and closer. Wang highly commended Kuwait’s wisdom and balanced policies as well as efforts to maintain regional security and peace, applauding Kuwait as a close friend of China. During the official talks, both sides considered close ties and mutual highlevel visits and meetings, the last of which was by Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, to Kuwait in February 2021 and the meeting between both Kuwaiti and Chinese foreign ministers in the Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent on July 16, 2021.

They also looked into ways of creating fresh horizons for joint cooperation in various sectors at the behest of both countries’ leaderships, in addition to response to the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Both sides finally discussed the latest regional and international developments and exchanged views on a set of issues and subjects that concern both nations. (KUNA)