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China, Kuwait build joint ammunition factory

Aug 6, 2025, 8:18am EDT
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President Xi Jinping and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 2023.
President Xi Jinping and Kuwait’s emir. Courtesy of China’s embassy in the US.

China and Kuwait are deepening their military cooperation, with an expanding training program and the opening of a joint ammunition factory in Kuwait.

Little is known about the plant, which was announced last year and reportedly produces light and medium ammunition, according to the South China Morning Post. The two countries began joint military training programs in 2019, and Beijing supplies Kuwait with 155mm cannons.

Still, despite growing defense and trade ties with China — a trend seen across the Gulf — the US remains the region’s top military partner. Kuwait, for example, receives nearly two-thirds of its arms from Washington and hosts 13,500 US soldiers on its territory.

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