ABSTRACT
Kuwait is the largest Emirate on the western coast of the Arabian Gulf and has historically been a merchant state. Kuwait had historically concerned itself primarily with establishing balanced relations with neighbouring states, such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran. An understanding of Iraq is essential to the discussion of relations between China and Kuwait, since Iraq long claimed Kuwait and the politics of Gulf States are closely interrelated. Shaikh Abdullah al-Salim set the course for Kuwait’s national independence, and its restructuring on modern lines by setting up a Parliament. The Chinese press kept a close watch on the Iraq-Kuwait dispute after attempting to expose the negative Kuwaiti side of the affair. However, throughout the crisis China never directly condemned Shaikh Abdullah al-Salim or the ruling of al-Sabah family, but Kuwaiti actions were seen in terms of British ‘military occupation’ of Kuwait.
