KUWAIT CITY, May 28: The Ministry of Public Works announced the visit of the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr. Noura Al-Mashan to the project site of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port on Boubyan Island, and the sites of Shuaiba, Shuwaikh, and Doha ports, accompanied by a high-level Chinese government technical delegation that included experts and engineers specialized in mega development projects.

The visit was held in the presence of the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the country Zhang Jianwei, and senior engineers and officials of the Ministry of Public Works specialized in major government projects. The visit is in implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries during the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah to the People’s Republic of China in September 2023 when His Highness the Amir held fruitful official discussions with His Excellency the Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning setting Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port’s project on Boubyan Island.

The ministry explained that Minister Al-Mashan held discussions with the head and members of the Chinese government delegation who are visiting the country for a period of one week. They exchanged experiences and proposals related to implementation of huge development projects in the State of Kuwait. In-depth technical and field discussions were also held with the head and members of the Chinese delegation on the importance of strengthening technical, construction and economic relations related to the implementation of huge development projects in the State of Kuwait.

They also presented the desired proposals and visions that would achieve the ambition of the senior political leadership to move forward in establishing the rules for the future plan for implementing the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project. The ministry added that the visit included field tours to several sites, including Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, Doha Port, and Shuaiba Port. It affirmed that serious future steps in this regard precede the visit of the Chinese government technical delegation, and an expected visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya to the People’s Republic of China to complete consultations on various development projects carried out in cooperation between the two sides. At the forefront of these projects is the Mubarak Port project.

The ministry indicated that Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya held a meeting on Monday with the Chinese Ambassador to the country Zhang Jianwei in the presence of the head and members of the Chinese government delegation concerned with completing consultations related to joint development projects between the two friendly countries. In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting, which was held in the ministry’s head office, reviewed the close bilateral relations and existing strategic cooperation between the two countries, and discussed frameworks for strengthening and developing them in various fields and at all levels. It said, “The State of Kuwait thus resumes its steps towards the desired development with a mind that thinks, a team that plans, and hands that implement, to shape the features of its future, working in full swing for the sake of a new, more advanced, prosperous and successful Kuwait.”

It is worth highlighting that the Mubarak Port project is today at the forefront of the Kuwaiti development and economic scene with the start of the actual resumption of its implementation. It is taking practical and realistic steps towards the same direction to be in the ranks of the development projects that the State of Kuwait is counting on during the next stage. Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port is one of the largest ports in the Middle East.

The port targets Central Asia and East Asia for reviving the Silk Road through the Kuwait Gate, maximizing the volume of local investments, and attracting foreign companies and investors. The port contributes to raising the efficiency of the country’s infrastructure, contributing to the development of the northern part of the country, and providing thousands of job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth, in addition to developing and reconstructing Boubyan Island to be a tourist destination

By Mohammed Ghanem
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff