Can Kuwait’s Silk City project overcome Islamist opposition in parliament?
Kuwaiti lawmakers are raising concerns over possible Chinese investments and liberal regulations involved in the country's economic megaproject, Silk City.
![CHINA-KUWAIT/ Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after witnessing a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 9, 2018. Andy Wong/Pool via REUTERS - RC1E2C22A580](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2019/06/RTS1VWYG.jpg/RTS1VWYG.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=06zfFJdd)
At the forefront of Kuwait’s Vision 2035, a megaproject aims to turn the sparsely populated narrow northern end of the Gulf into an international trade hub. According to Dong Taikang, chairman of the Chinese Association in Kuwait, the $100 billion new metropolis called Silk City is set to become a vast free zone offering transhipment services to supply the nearby Iraqi and Iranian markets.
Already under construction on Bubiyan Island, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port is reportedly the most expensive port development in the region at $9 billion.