RIYADH: Kuwait has signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with China valued at around $4 billion to construct the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port on Bubiyan Island. 

The agreement was signed by Minister of Public Works Noura Al-Mashaan and Chen Zhong, deputy chairman of China Communications Construction Co., according to the Kuwait News Agency, 

The deal aligns with Kuwait’s efforts to overhaul its infrastructure and strengthen its strategic position as a regional transport and logistics hub. 

Addressing the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said relations between the two countries are built on historical ties, mutual political respect, confidence, and shared interests. 

“These ties are based on the sagacious vision of the leaderships in the two countries, joint will to consolidate constructive cooperation at various levels and promote the bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership,” KUNA quoted the prime minister as saying. 

He added that development of the port is one of the key factors that will shape the country’s future economic growth. 

The prime minister said the project would enhance Kuwait’s share of regional and international trade and strengthen its role in the global supply chain. 

According to Al-Sabah, the port is also essential to achieving the objectives of New Kuwait Vision 2035, contributing to economic diversification, increasing national income, creating quality job opportunities, and strengthening the logistics and commercial sectors. 

For her part, Al-Mashaan said the port is expected to strengthen Kuwait’s maritime transport infrastructure by boosting the operational capacity of the country’s ports. 

She added that the deal is a cornerstone for constructive cooperation between both Kuwait and China. 

Chinese acting charge d’affaires Liu Xiang said the deal constitutes participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, KUNA reported. 

China considers the Middle East a key partner in the initiative, a global infrastructure strategy launched more than a decade ago under President Xi Jinping. 

The signing ceremony was also attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shareedah Al-Mousherji, Head of the Prime Minister’s Diwan Abdulaziz Dekheel Al-Dekheel, as well as ministers and senior state officials.