Iraqi PM in China on 6-day visit amid reconstruction efforts
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi on Thursday arrived in Hefei, China on an official visit to the country at the head of a large delegation.
He is accompanied by 55 high ranking individuals, including ministers, officials, and provincial governors and will remain in China until Sept. 24.
China is one of Iraq’s largest trading partners, from which it imports many products including electronics and construction material. In mid-April, a senior delegation from the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) arrived in Baghdad and met with a number of Iraqi officials.
“China is the second largest economy in the world,” Abdul Mahdi said in a TV interview before his departure, adding, it “has great liquidity and advanced technology.”
The Prime Minister said, “We have dozens of joint projects with China on issues of armament, oil and others,” noting, “Iraq was the first to sign the draft Silk Road Agreement.”
عبد المهدي يصل الى مدينة #خفي الصينية على رأس وفد كبير، للمشاركة بأعمال المؤتمر العالمي للتصنيع.
— Kurdistan 24 عربية (@arabick24) September 19, 2019
سيلقي عبد المهدي كلمة في المؤتمر الذي ينطلق غداً ويحضره العديد من المسؤولين من مختلف دول العالم ورؤساء كبريات الشركات الصينية، بحسب بيان لمكتب رئيس الوزراء.#العراق pic.twitter.com/5nbMmakRXM
Iraqi officials have previously called on China for support in the reconstruction of the country, which suffered much destruction during the so-called Islamic State’s takeover of a third of its land and the subsequent operations against the terrorist organization.
Abdul Mahdi said his visit to China would bring “positive results” and that Iraq would start “a speedy reconstruction of infrastructure” upon his return.
In an interview with the state-run al-Sabah news outlet on Wednesday, China’s ambassador to Iraq, Zhang Tao, said Abdul Mahdi’s visit would mark a new phase in bilateral ties.
Seemingly, China’s engagement would extend to areas of electricity, water purification, construction of schools, hospitals, housing units, as well as transportation-related projects, Tao said, adding that Chinese companies would prioritize services “urgently needed” by the Iraqi public.
The envoy also said that Beijing would incentivize more Chinese companies to enter the Iraqi market and help with reconstruction, as well as the training personnel in various fields.
Editing by Nadia Riva