China and Kuwait pledge closer military ties with new joint ammunition factory

According to a senior defense official, China and Kuwait have nearly completed the construction of an ammunition factory in the Gulf country.

According to the Kuwait Times, Kuwait’s Deputy Defense Minister Sheikh Abdullah Meshal Al-Sabah said, “This project is a milestone in our cooperation and is expected to open soon.”

Speaking at a reception hosted by the Chinese embassy to celebrate the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Al-Sabah also said that the military training programs between the two countries, which began in 2019, will continue to expand every year.

Since the joint project was announced last year, neither country has provided much information about the factory, which will reportedly produce light and medium ammunition.

China’s defense attaché, Liu Zongzhen, pledged to “take China-Kuwait military relations to new heights,” saying that relations between the two countries’ armies are “progressing steadily.”

Meanwhile, chargé d’affaires Liu Xiang called on both countries to “advance on the path of peaceful development” and “practice true multilateralism.”

Kuwait, a key US ally, became the first Gulf country to sign a military cooperation agreement with China in 1995, and these ties have deepened as Beijing has intensified its relations with the region.

China has supplied the emirate with 155mm artillery, and PLA naval escort task forces have visited the city-state three times since 2011.

In recent years, Kuwait has increased its investment in military modernization due to rising regional tensions.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the Gulf country was the world’s 10th largest arms importer between 2020 and 2024, increasing its imports by 466% compared to the previous five-year period.

According to the Lebanon-based intelligence research firm Tactical Report, Beijing has said it is ready to meet “most of Kuwait’s defense needs” without preconditions.

It added that the Chinese Ministry of Defense also made an offer related to “advanced military equipment.”

On the other hand, Kuwait’s military ties with the US have remained strong in recent years. According to the Stockholm institute’s report, the US supplied 63% of Kuwait’s arms imports in the 2020-24 period, followed by Italy and France.

According to US State Department data, there are approximately 13,500 US personnel and 2,200 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles in the country.