On Saturday, the Minister of Commerce, Atheer Al-Ghurairi, announced significant joint investments between Iraq and China. He emphasized that Iraq is looking forward to benefitting from China’s political and economic capabilities.
During the establishment ceremony of the Iraqi-Chinese Business Council held under the patronage of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, Al-Ghurairi expressed that the historical friendship between Iraq and China runs deep, and both civilizations have made significant contributions to human history. He spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister.
“Iraq has established economic and trade relations with China, which led to the signing of a trade, economic, and technical cooperation agreement in 1997. As a result, a joint committee was formed that held 13 sessions, the most recent of which was in 2016. The committee discussed several areas of cooperation, including political, economic, cultural, education, and health.”
The largest trading partner of Iraq is the People’s Republic of China, with a trade volume of about 53 billion US dollars in 2022. Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani is keen on strengthening bilateral relations with China through the Iraqi Development Road project, which aims to boost the region’s economy and facilitate transportation of goods between Europe and the Gulf through Iraq.
During a recent meeting, the Iraqi representative expressed his country’s desire for increased cooperation with the Republic of China. He emphasized the importance of leveraging China’s political and economic capabilities to tackle Iraq’s development and economic challenges. He also discussed the need to modify reforms, programs, plans, and projects according to the Iraqi government’s preferences.
