China to issue visas to Kurdistan Region citizens
The Chinese envoy officially invited the Erbil governor to visit China and expressed his desire for Erbil to become a sister city of one of his country's cities.
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ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw on Sunday received Liu Jun, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Erbil, according to a statement from the governor's office.
In the meeting, both sides discussed the procedures for issuing visas to Kurdistan Region citizens by the Chinese consulate, as all preparations have been made for a start date in Jan. 2024.
The Chinese envoy praised the progress in Erbil and emphasized the significance of Erbil as a historical and ancient city.
Mr. Jun hoped that the long-standing friendship between the Kurdistan Region and China in the fields of trade, industry, agriculture, and tourism would be further developed.
Another topic of discussion was the construction of an Erbil park with Sino-inspired design elements. Construction of the project, to be jointly managed by the Chinese Consulate and the office of the Khoshnaw, is set to commence soon on an area of 15,000 square meters.
Furthermore, Mr. Jun officially invited the Erbil governor to visit China and expressed his desire for Erbil to become a sister city of one of his country's cities.
Beijing and Erbil share close economic ties. In Sept. 2022, a Chinese investor submitted a proposal for a $5 billion tourist city in Erbil. The 2,000 sqm project, dubbed Happy City, would create 8,000 jobs and include areas for tourism, residences, and entertainment.
In another example of Chinese investment in the Region, China Power Investment Corporation (also known as PowerChina) recently contracted with the Kurdish company Dabin Group to build a 6,000-ton capacity cement plant near Safin Mountain in Erbil Governorate.
The project, which provides 1,000 job opportunities during the construction phase and includes a 52-megawatt power plant, will be finished in under two years, Kamaran Dosky, the plant’s chief executive officer, said in a speech. He added that the factory is “strategic” in the long term for the Kurdish region.
Read More: PM Barzani lays foundation stone of a ‘strategic’ cement, power plant

