In the summer of 1990, a war shook the world in the Gulf, and it pushed everything to the brink of upheaval. Iraq's sudden invasion plunged Kuwait into a deep crisis. Kuwait, a small country with many oil wells, was invaded by Iraq overnight and became Iraq's plaything.
The invasion angered not only the Arab world, but also the international community. However, the turmoil in the Gulf region did not come suddenly. Before the outbreak of this war, Chinese diplomats had repeatedly communicated with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an attempt to defuse the crisis. However, Saddam Hussein once used remarks such as "Kuwait is to us what Hong Kong is to China" to provoke the bottom line of the international community.
Why did Saddam Hussein make such a metaphor? And are the relations between Kuwait and Iraq as he claimed? In fact, Kuwait was once part of Iraq, but in 1896 due to British intervention, Kuwait was forced to sign a colonial agreement and became a British protectorate. Although Kuwait later successfully declared independence in 1961 and joined international organizations such as the United Nations, Kuwait is still considered part of Iraq in the minds of Iraqis.
However, in a series of frictions before the outbreak of the war, Kuwait's actions angered Iraq. While Iraq planned to raise the oil level to pay off its debts, Kuwait increased its production substantially, resulting in huge losses to Iraq. In addition, Iraq accuses Kuwait of building military installations on its territory, exacerbating tensions between the two sides.
These disputes eventually culminated in Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Iraqi forces quickly captured the Kuwaiti capital and established a temporary **. The Kuwaitis were not willing to be humiliated and put up a heroic resistance, and the international community condemned Iraq's actions and demanded that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait unconditionally.
In this crisis, China sent diplomats to the Gulf region to mediate,** and actively participated in efforts to resolve the crisis as China's representatives. However, Saddam's persuasion did not have a substantial impact, and eventually the war broke out.
After the outbreak of the Gulf War, the United States formed a multinational coalition to strike at Iraq. Although China did not send troops, it expressed its support for a peaceful settlement through diplomatic means. This war made the world see the strength of the United States, and also made China aware of its own gap in military technology, prompting China to carry out military reform and strive to narrow the gap with the United States.
War is unfortunate, but it is also realistic. Kuwait was a victim of the war, while China tried to maintain peace through diplomatic means. The war changed the landscape of the Gulf region and made China aware of its importance in international affairs.