KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China is prepared to develop in-depth cooperation with Kuwait to contribute to social and economic development of the Arab country, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks during the celebration of the Chinese Spring Festival, organized by the Chinese embassy in Kuwait.

During his opening speech, the Chinese ambassador said that China and Kuwait developed bilateral relations in the past 48 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"The past 2018 is a landmark year for China-Kuwait relations where there were frequent high-level visits between the two countries," he said, adding that "the trade volume between the two countries in the first three quarters of last year reached 14.12 billion U.S. dollars, with a year-on-year increase of 69.5 percent."

"In the new year, China will continue to further reform and open up, actively promote the joint-construction of the Belt and Road, persistently advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," he noted.

The Chinese ambassador also praised the support he received in Kuwait.

During the celebration, artists from China performed traditional Chinese music and dance with traditional Chinese musical instruments, which drew applause from the audience.