KUWAIT CITY, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Basketball matches of the Chinese companies in Kuwait kicked off on Friday in Farwaniya Governorate under the auspices of the Association of Chinese Companies in Kuwait.

A total of 16 teams from more than 20 Chinese companies, including China Petrochemical Corporation, or Sinopec, China Gezhouba Group Corporation, Metallurgical Corporation of China and Huawei, will participate in the matches to compete in the next four weeks.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Xiangsong, one of the organizers of the event, said that the basketball matches aim to enhance the unity and cohesion of the Chinese companies operating in Kuwait.

"We hold the matches to enrich leisure time of our employees and demonstrate spirits of cooperation among them," he said.

"We are determined to make it a sport event with solidarity and friendship, which also contributes to the operation of our Chinese companies in Kuwait," he added.

So far, there are more than 40 Chinese companies in Kuwait with more than 8,000 Chinese employees.