Decades-long friendship upgraded, Zhongke Defense secures tangible project implementation, military authorities hail defense cooperation without reservation
Recently, Kuwaiti Deputy Minister of Defense Sabah attended an official event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait and offered exceptionally high praise: China and Kuwait share a top-tier strategic partnership characterized by quality, and all defense and security collaborations between the two countries have delivered concrete, real-world results.
The royal-affiliated senior military official explicitly stated that all cooperation between the two nations is built on mutual respect and equal dialogue, with safeguarding the overall stability of the Persian Gulf being a shared goal. Years of routine collaboration have continuously advanced bilateral relations steadily forward. This public statement carries profound practical significance within Kuwait’s geopolitical context.
Many are aware that tens of thousands of U.S. troops are permanently stationed in Kuwait, and the country has long sourced its standard military equipment exclusively from the United States. When Kuwait regained independence, it relied on U.S.-led coalition forces, and for decades, its national security has been closely tied to its status as a U.S. ally. Logically, such a nation’s defense cooperation would be entirely dependent on Washington—but Kuwait has chosen a different path.
Looking back, the foundation for Sino-Kuwaiti ties was firmly established early on. Kuwait was the first Gulf Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. When China faced difficulties in the past, Kuwait proactively provided financial assistance; when Kuwait was invaded and oil fields caught fire, China immediately dispatched specialized teams to help extinguish the blazes. Mutual support during times of crisis laid the essential groundwork for trust.
Thanks to this enduring friendship, Kuwait became the first Gulf country to sign a military cooperation agreement with China.
In earlier years, Sino-Kuwaiti military cooperation mainly involved superficial engagements such as procurement of PLZ45 self-propelled howitzers, equipment purchases, and personnel exchanges. Today, the collaboration has significantly evolved: a domestically built ammunition factory jointly developed by both countries is set to begin full-scale operations soon. Additionally, regular special operations training, naval fleet visits, and counter-terrorism security coordination have become routine—directly bringing military manufacturing capabilities to Kuwait’s own soil, eliminating the need to rely entirely on imported munitions for national defense operations.
Kuwait maintains the comprehensive protection provided by U.S. forces as a safety net, leveraging American power to respond swiftly to sudden regional conflicts; at the same time, it integrates Chinese defense technology and security systems to address domestic industrial shortcomings and reduce vulnerability to external supply constraints. This dual-track strategy represents Kuwait’s most pragmatic survival choice. While U.S. alliances come with heavy political restrictions and mandatory binding clauses, China’s defense cooperation focuses solely on technology transfer, production capacity building, and regional stability—without interfering in internal affairs or attaching any political conditions. This is precisely why Kuwait increasingly values this partnership.
Located in the complex and volatile Persian Gulf region, small states blindly relying on a single major power risk being manipulated or coerced. Kuwait simultaneously upholds its traditional alliance while actively shifting eastward to deepen practical cooperation—using balanced diplomacy to create ample buffer space for itself. There’s no rigid bloc confrontation, only mutual benefit through reciprocal engagement. The decades-long friendly cooperation between China and Kuwait stands as the most comfortable model of equitable relations between large and small nations.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871404563844096/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.