KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah left Kuwait on Sunday, heading to France on an official visi

His Highness the Amir was seen off at the airport by His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Mubarak Humoud Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Shereedah Al-Mosherji and top state officials.

Accompanying His Highness the Amir are Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Sabah, Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, Chief of Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) Sheikh Dr Meshaal Jaber Al-Sabah, and other high officials. – KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait is poised to play a key role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a global expert on supply chain geopolitics.

Thomas Tronet, co-director of the Centre for Geopolitical Studies on the Middle East, made the remarks during a recent international congress focused on the Middle East and the Islamic world.

Tronet emphasized Kuwait’s geographical significance. Located at the northern tip of the Gulf, the country is well-positioned to serve as a critical node in the BRI’s global logistics network. Its proximity to the China–Central Asia–West Asia Economic Corridor, he noted, makes it a vital gateway for East-West trade.

He aimed to fill a knowledge gap often found in French and Western discussions regarding the Gulf region. “Kuwait is frequently overlooked in France, despite its strategic importance,” Tronet said. He reminded the audience that Kuwait was historically known as the “Marseille of the Gulf” during the 19th century — a testament to its once-vibrant trading legacy. Today, he sees that the country is reviving that role through modern infrastructure projects and strategic partnerships, especially with China.

Thomas Tronet

Central to his discussion was Kuwait’s “omnibalancing” foreign policy strategy. According to Tronet, Kuwait balances its core security reliance on the United States with deepening economic ties to China. “The US remains Kuwait’s indispensable security guarantor,” he said, “but China has been its primary economic partner for over ten years,” noting that China’s policy of non-interference is also well received in the region.

Tronet highlighted several key developments under the BRI framework. “The main focus of Chinese investment is concentrated on the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port on Boubyan Island. A recent decision was made to accelerate this megaproject, which will make it one of the largest ports in the Gulf. With this development, Kuwait is returning to its roots as a trading center.”

He explained that the port, which is designed to handle over eight million containers upon completion forms part of a larger vision to transform northern Kuwait — including Subiya and Boubyan — into a logistical and economic hub. Chinese-backed transport corridors, such as a proposed link to Dammam and the Saudi Landbridge, are set to improve regional connectivity. These would offer alternative routes to bypass politically unstable zones like the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

These infrastructure projects are closely linked to Kuwait’s national development strategy, known as Vision 2035. The plan seeks to diversify Kuwait’s oil-dependent economy and position the country as a regional cultural, commercial, and financial center, according to Tronet.

“Silk City is another megaproject central to Kuwait Vision 2035, projected to accommodate 700,000 residents,” he said adding that China has expressed strong interest in supporting its integration into the BRI, aligning with its global infrastructure investment goals. While acknowledging the challenges of building such a city from scratch, Tronet noted that similar regional projects like Saudi Arabia’s NEOM or the UAE’s Masdar City show that the ambition is yet still feasible. He clarified that Kuwait is also advancing in renewable energy, another pillar of Vision 2035. China recently secured a contract to construct a new solar plant within the Shagaya Renewable Energy Park, further supporting Kuwait’s push to diversify its energy portfolio.

Tronet noted that Kuwait’s solar potential makes it well-suited for such investments and that China’s global leadership in green energy supports mutual interests in sustainable development.

In closing, Tronet expressed appreciation for the opportunity to spotlight Kuwait. “I was delighted to help participants of the congress from France and the world get to know Kuwait better, a country I find fascinating,” he said. “The few Kuwaitis I have met in France are among the most incredible people I know.”

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is scheduled to begin an official visit to the friendly Republic of France on Sunday.

It is His Highness the Amir’s first such visit to the European nation and comes to mark leaders of the two countries’ keenness on cementing and developing these ties at various levels.

The French-Kuwaiti relations date back to August 28, 1961, when Paris assigned its Beirut ambassador as envoy to Kuwait and established commercial representation in the Gulf State before establishing the diplomatic ties with Kuwait in 1967.These relations, over the past seven decades, developed in all fields, culminating with Paris’ stand of support for Kuwait in 1990 when the late president Francois Mitterrand declared, on August 26, 1990, that the sovereignty of Kuwait is non-negotiable and dispatched some 18,000 troops to the region to partake in liberating the country.

Senior leaders and officials of the two countries, since establishing the relations, have reciprocated visits. The late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had visited France several times, lastly in September 1989, when he held talks with the officials in Paris on promoting the bilateral relations in diverse sectors.

The late Amir Sheikh Jaber had later visited France in October 1990, during the flagrant Iraqi occupation of the country, and in October 1991 to express gratitude and appreciation of the French support for the just Kuwaiti cause.

He had also gone to France in November 2006 where he met with President Jacques Chirac and senior officials, discussing means of cementing the bilateral relations and issues of common interest.

In January 2017, the (ex) first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, took part in the international conference for peace in the Middle East, held in Paris.

On April 24, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot came to Kuwait where he held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya on ways of strengthening the relations, in addition to signing a number of accords and memoranda of understanding in diverse spheres.

The Kuwaiti Embassy in France took part in the Gulf Vision Conference (2025), held in France under sponsorship of President Emmanuel Macron, aimed at bolstering the European nation’s partnership with the GCC states amid rapid changes in the global economy and mutual efforts to broaden the economic relations.

France is a major investor in Kuwait’s energy, infrastructural, transport, health and cosmetics sectors, with the number of the French companies operating in the Gulf country accounting to 50 percent of the European companies.

France and Kuwait had signed several agreements in different sectors namely in taxation, first inked in 1973, in addition to an agreement for protecting and boosting investments, ratified by the two governments in 1989. In June 2017, Kuwait and Paris signed an agreement for executing measures of the taxation treaties.

France mainly exports to Kuwait cosmetics, perfumes, clothes, vehicles, food and aviation equipment.

At the military level, Kuwait eyes France a strategic ally especially since Paris took part in the international coalition for liberating the country in 1991, along with subsequent defense treaties.

In August 1992, the two countries signed a defense treaty regulating cooperation and stipulating that Paris pledges to stand on Kuwait’s side against any external aggression. It also tackled the holding of military training and maneuvers, exchanging expertise. Moreover, they had signed another accord in December 2006 on defense cooperation.

In the health sector, a delegation of Nice University visited Kuwait and held talks with local health official on enhancing the cooperation and expertise swap. In April 2025, Minister Health Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadi signed a MoU with Gustave Roussy Hospital.

At the level of scientific and cultural cooperation, the two countries had signed several MoUs and accords to increase number of the Kuwaiti students studying in France, partake in cultural activities and exchange experience in the field.  — KUNA