On March 22, 1971, China and Kuwait established diplomatic relations, making Kuwait the first Arab state of the Gulf to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In July 2018, the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah paid a state visit to China, during which President Xi Jinping and the Amir announced the establishment of the China-Kuwait strategic partnership. In December 2022, President Xi Jinping met with the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who was then Crown Prince of Kuwait, on the sidelines of the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. In May 2025, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang met with Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on the sidelines of the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit. And in November 2025, Vice President Han Zheng paid a visit to Kuwait.
The Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to China as Crown Prince in September 2023 for the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, during which President Xi Jinping met with him in Hangzhou. And Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya came to China in May 2024 for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, during which Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with him. Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah paid a visit to China in August 2026, during which Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with him.
Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been developing smoothly. In 2025, the trade volume between China and Kuwait reached USD 18.578 billion, of which China’s exports amounted to USD 6.041 billion and imports totaled USD 12.537 billion. China mainly exports mechanical and electrical products, high-tech innovative products, textiles and other products, and mainly imports from Kuwait crude oil, and petrochemical products, among others. Kuwait is the ninth largest source of crude oil imports in China. In 2025, China imported 19.022 million tons of crude oil from Kuwait.
The two countries have active people-to-people and cultural exchanges. In September 2023, the China Cultural Center in Kuwait was put into trial operation, becoming the first of its kind in the Gulf region. On October 12, 2025, the cultural center was officially inaugurated.
In June 2025, China began to trial a unilateral visa-free policy for Kuwait.