Kuwait has the largest number of stateless people in the entire region. Kuwait is a founding member of the GCC and a major non-NATO ally to the United States. Kuwait also has strong economic ties to China and ASEAN. In 2020, the Kuwaiti government experienced its first fiscal deficit since 1995. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, Kuwait and China have many important cooperation projects including South al-Mutlaa and Mubarak Al Kabeer Port. Kuwait currently has the largest US military presence in the Middle East.