Amir arrives on state visit to China
BEIJING, July 7, (Agencies): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah arrived in China on Sunday, embarking on an official state visit.
At His Highness’s reception and the delegation accompanying him was Assistant Foreign Minister for West Asian and North African Affairs Chen Xiaodong, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Wang-Di, and Kuwait’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic Samih Hayat.
Earlier, His Highness the Amir left the country on Saturday heading to the People’s Republic of China on an official state visit.
His Highness the Amir was
seen off at the airport by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and top state officials.
The delegation accompanying His Highness comprises of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh, Minister of Finance Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh, Minister of commerce and industry Khaled AlRoudan and Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water Bakheet Al-Rasheedi.
The delegation accompanying His Highness also includes, Chief of Staff of His Highness the Amir’s Office Ahmad Fahad Al-Fahad, Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Dr Yousef Hamad Al-Ibrahim, Amiri Diwan advisor Muhammad Abdullah Abu AlHasan, Chief of Amiri Protocols Sheikh Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah and Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah.
The delegation also includes the Chairman and CEO of the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, Eng Salem Al-Othaina, Director General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development’s (KFAED) Abdulwahab AlBader, Head of Media and Cultural Affairs at Amiri Diwan Yousef Hamad Al-Roumi, Head of Political and Economic Affairs at Amiri Diwan Sheikh Fawaz Al-Saud AlNasser Al-Sabah, Director General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) Sheikh Dr Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chief Executive Officer of the apparatus for developing the Silk City (in Al-Sabbiah) and Boubyan Island, Faisal Al-Medlej and top officials at Amiri Diwan, Foreign Ministry and oil Ministry.
President Xi will hold a welcoming ceremony and banquet for His Highness the Amir, during the visit, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, who added that both leaders are expected to attend the opening ceremony of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) slated to take place on July 10 in Beijing, reports geo.tv.
The Amir’s visit to China is his second one after a nine-year gap.
Lu said the two heads-of-state plan to hold a bilateral meeting and jointly attend the signing ceremony of the cooperation documents. Kuwait was one of the first Gulf countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, he noted, adding that the SinoKuwait relations have developed rapidly over recent years.
“The two countries understand and support each other on their core interests and major concerns. Kuwait was one of the first countries to sign the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation document with China,” Lu stated.
The spokesperson explained that the two sides have achieved remarkable results in their cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, investment, financing, and infrastructure, while the humanities exchanges are active as well.
“China is looking forward to further consolidating the traditional friendship between China and Kuwait through this important visit, enhancing political mutual trust, deepening cooperation between the two countries in the framework of building the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting China-Kuwait relations to a new level,” he said.
Lu remarked that Kuwait is an active participant in the CASCF and that his country believes that the forthcoming visit is of great significance to enhancing the level of collective cooperation between China and the Arab states under the new framework.