Xi, Kuwaiti emir exchange congratulations on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulations with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kuwait relations, and is willing to work with the Kuwaiti emir to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples.

Xi said the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time and grown even stronger since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago.

In recent years, the two countries have formed a strategic partnership, continuously deepened mutual political trust and achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, Xi said, adding that both sides understand and support each other on issues of the other's core interests and major concerns, and have closely coordinated in international and regional affairs.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, the two sides have worked together to fight the disease, which demonstrates the high level of China-Kuwait relations.

For his part, the Kuwaiti emir said that Kuwait-China relations are strong and continuing to develop and deepen.

The two sides have cooperated on major projects within the framework of their strategic partnership, maintained communication and coordination on international and regional issues and jointly safeguarded world peace and security, he said.

The two countries have carried out active coordination and close cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that he is looking forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations and enhancing their cooperation in various fields.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

In his message, Li said that since China and Kuwait established diplomatic ties 50 years ago, bilateral relations have developed smoothly with both sides increasingly deepening their mutual political trust and steadily advancing the Belt and Road cooperation.

The two countries have also gained fruitful results in cooperation in such fields as energy, infrastructure, finance and people-to-people exchanges, with mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples continuing to grow, Li added.

China is ready to work with the Kuwaiti side to push forward their strategic partnership to achieve greater development, Li added.

The Kuwaiti prime minister said in his message that friendly ties between Kuwait and China are sound and close, and bilateral cooperation has achieved fruitful results.

The Kuwaiti side highly values the friendly relations with China, and hopes to continue to work with China to promote their strategic relations in all aspects and meet the expectations of their friendly countries and peoples, he said.