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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.
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

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.

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