On December 19, 2022, the most widely circulated Arabic-language newspaper in Kuwait Al-Anba published its exclusive interview with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianwei, in which Ambassador Zhang primarily talked about the outcomes and significance of the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit, as well as the development of China-Kuwait relationship.

Ambassador Zhang said that the successful first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit mark a milestone in the history of China-Arab relations, as they were China’s highest-level diplomatic engagement with the Arab world on the largest scale since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). During his speech delivered on the China-Arab States Summit, President Xi Jinping reviewed the long history of friendly exchanges between China and Arab countries, crystallized the spirit of our friendship that has grown even firmer over the millennium, and proposed eight major cooperation initiatives China and Arab states will advance in areas including development support, food security, public health, green innovation, energy security, inter-civilizational dialogue, youth development, and security and stability. These initiatives pave the way for our joint efforts to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era. While attending and addressing the China-GCC Summit, President Xi Jinping stressed the importance to carry forward the tradition of China-GCC friendship and take the establishment of the China-GCC strategic partnership as an opportunity to enrich the strategic substance of this relationship, adding that China and GCC countries should be partners of greater solidarity, partners for common development, partners for common security, and partners for cultural prosperity. President Xi also elaborated on five priority areas in which China will work with GCC countries in the next three to five years.

Speaking of China-Kuwait relations, Ambassador Zhang noted that President Xi Jinping and Kuwait’s Crown Prince Mishal met on the sidelines of the summit, adding that it was the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of our two countries and will inject great impetus to our efforts to consolidate political mutual trust and expand win-win cooperation between the two sides. Kuwait was the first Arab country in the Gulf to establish diplomatic relations with PRC and also the first among Middle East countries to sign Belt and Road cooperation agreements with China. For half a century and more since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our two countries have bonded with each other through mutual support and sincere cooperation, setting a good example of state-to-state relations. Our economic and trade cooperation has been productive, as China has been the largest source of imports for Kuwait and its biggest trading partner as well while Kuwait is among the major sources of crude oil imports for China. So far, Chinese enterprises have been involved in contracting over 80 construction projects in Kuwait. Our cooperation on two-way investment has been growing. Statistics released by Kuwait show that China’s direct investment in Kuwait has totaled about USD 550 million, making China the second largest source of foreign direct investment in Kuwait. Going forward, China stands ready to work with the Kuwaiti side to implement important common understanding reached by our leaders and strengthen synergy between our development strategies. China will actively participate in major construction projects in Kuwait, tap the potential of our cooperation in new energy, 5G communications and digital economy, and encourage cultural exchanges and cooperation, so as to achieve greater progress in our strategic partnership.

When it comes to regional and international hotspot issues, Ambassador Zhang cited the report delivered on the 20th CPC National Congress, saying that China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development, fully advance Chinese modernization, and promote high-quality development, which will create more opportunities for the rest of the world and add greater momentum to China-Kuwait cooperation. He added that China will be committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and be opposed to cold-war mentality, interferences in internal affairs of other countries, attempts to build walls and barriers or push for decoupling. Instead, China commits itself to building a community with a shared future for mankind. China has put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and will work with the international community including Kuwait to deliver on these initiatives and jointly build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.