Chinese official looks forward for new cooperation prospects with Kuwait
BEIJING: Vice President and Director General of China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) Li Dia Nu expressed his hope yesterday for a new phase towards closer relations and cooperation between his country and Kuwait in various fields especially in the fields of energy and petrochemicals in light of the agreements reached between the two countries during His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to China last July.
This came during a meeting with a Kuwaiti media delegation visiting the Republic of China at the invitation of the Chinese side to discuss ways of developing media cooperation between the two countries in light of His Highness the Amir’s recent visit to Beijing. Li said that Sinopec has a close relationship with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and this relationship strengthens the cooperation frameworks between the two countries, expressing his country’s readiness to contribute to supporting the development and reconstruction of Kuwait. He added that the company has more than 125 activities in many countries in the world, including Kuwait, and these activities represent the government of China at the highest level of business development in the world.
In 2008, Sinopec entered the Kuwait market and was the first contractor with Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and was the best company to provide high quality standards. He added that in the commercial process of crude oil, Kuwait ranks first in terms of volume of cooperation, which has increased over time, noting that the volume of imports of (Sinopec) of Kuwaiti oil currently stands at 300,000 barrels of oil per day. He added that the Kuwait market has become a large and open market, pointing out that the latest meetings of the bilateral committees, agreements were signed to expand and deepen relations in oil services between the two countries to create new opportunities for cooperation, especially in the petrochemical sector.
Kuwait also wants to benefit from China’s great experience in the economic development process within the framework of the new development plan (Kuwait Vision 2035). He expressed his happiness at the level of cooperation between the two countries and wished a bright and promising future especially that the two parties are committed to achieving this vision, and that cooperation is what will distinguish this vision.
Meanwhile, Director of Oil Services in the Company Zhou Ji pointed to the activities and areas of work of Sinopec in Kuwait, explaining that the company is one of the largest suppliers of oil and petrochemical services. He added that the company’s plan includes exploration, oil construction and production along with design, adding that the company has more than 5,000 representatives and agents in more than 30 countries around the world, the most important of which is Kuwait. He said the company has significant activities in the Gulf region with 56 drilling platforms in Kuwait and began drilling in 2009 with 15 platforms. In 2015 and 2016, the number has risen to 27, and the implementation time schedule has gone smoothly in recent years. He then took the delegation in a tour to the control hall of Sinopec, through which it manages all its activities including oilfields, oil exploration stations, transport pipelines, ships, refineries, gas transmission lines and liquefaction.
In the meantime, head of the media delegation, Deputy Director-General for the Editorial Sector and Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Saad Al-Ali, said that the visit of the media team representing media institutions in Kuwait came in light of His Highness the Amir’s vision for the future development plan and projects following his recent visit to China last July. Ali said that Kuwait, when it began its 2035 vision plan, China was the main country and the main key to Kuwait’s projects. Kuwait is also a key country in the Silk Road project. The project was an essential part of His Highness the Amir’s visit to China. He pointed out that Kuwait has great relations with oil companies from China, which enhances the desire for cooperation between the two parties as oil is the main source of Kuwait’s economy. He stressed the need to increase awareness of the project of China and the transfer of its activities to the Kuwaiti citizen and there is a desire and interest from both sides to move forward in signing more cooperation agreements on all levels. He pointed to the great harmony between Kuwait and the Republic of China in various fields, calling for the promotion and activation of media and cultural conventions for further convergence and acquisition of expertise. Sinopec was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in the Chinese capital Beijing and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and recently the London Stock Exchange. It is also the largest oil refining company in Asia in terms of processing. The delegation, which is headed by Al-Ali, also includes a group of journalists from various Kuwaiti media institutions and Information Ministry.
Media’s importance
Kuwaiti and Chinese journalists yesterday stressed the importance of the role of the media in promoting media and cultural cooperation between the two countries, especially following the agreements signed during the visit of His Highness the Amir to China last July. This came during a meeting between the Kuwaiti media delegation visiting China and Chinese media to enhance communication and dialogue among them and to become acquainted with the largest media institutions in China in light of the agreements reached between the two countries during the visit of His Highness the Amir.
“The visit of the Kuwaiti media delegation to China is important because of the role of the media as one of the channels that contribute to enhancing relations between the two countries,” said Sun Changwa, deputy editor-inchief of the ‘China Daily’ newspaper, in a statement to the press. He also stressed the importance of the role media can play in order to achieve cultural rapprochement between the two peoples, especially as each of them does not know the nature of the other. He added that the media men are capable of shedding more light on cultures between peoples as well as exchanging of information among peoples and this is the main goal of visits of media delegations, including the visit by the Kuwaiti media delegation. He expressed his happiness with the visit of the Kuwaiti delegation to the headquarters of the China Daily and hoped that this exchange will continue in the future more than before.
Meanwhile, Ali stressed during the meeting with Chinese media the important role of the Kuwaiti media after the agreements signed during the visit of His Highness the Amir to China to promote media and cultural cooperation between the two countries. Ali stressed the need to close the gap between the two communities and learn more about the culture of the two countries to enhance cooperation between them. He said there are joint visits between the two countries to discuss the development plan and future projects. He stressed the need to activate the agreements between the Kuwaiti Journalists Association and the Association of Chinese Journalists and asserted keenness to strengthen communication between them. He praised China’s strong ties with many countries, the Chinese President’s economic expansion and the media role played by institutions in China.
In the meantime, an official of international relations in the Association of Chinese Journalists stressed the need to strengthen communication and dialogue between journalists and media and identify the media institutions in both countries because of their positive results in terms of relations between Kuwait and China. He added that the Association of Chinese Journalists represents 217 media organizations, and the number of members of the Association is about one million journalists, which reflects the interest of the Chinese people in the media. The ‘China Daily’, the largest English-language Chinese newspaper, was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Beijing with offices in China’s largest city and special publications in some capitals, such as New York and London. The media delegation, led by Ali, includes a group of journalists in Kuwaiti media institutions and the Ministry of Information. — KUNA