Recently, the Iraqi government stated that it would include more important strategic projects in the "oil for reconstruction" agreement signed with China. It is worth mentioning that the relevant proposals were put on the stage in June. After 4 months, the Iraqi government finally made up its mind to come to China to implement it.
According to Haider Majid, spokesman for the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office, the new strategic projects cover the vast majority of infrastructure, including but not limited to transportation projects such as roads and bridges, as well as sewage treatment plants, desalination plants, and a series of large-scale projects linked to energy such as oil and electricity. As for how to attract more Chinese companies to participate, the relevant departments of Iraqi are actively coordinating.
[Under the "oil for reconstruction" agreement, Chinese companies have built many schools in Iraq]
4 months, it is not long, it is not short. In this process, there were many impacts, which ultimately led to the further deepening of the framework of the "oil for reconstruction" agreement between China and Iraq.
On the one hand, it is a sustainable cooperative relationship between China and Iraq. Since the Iraq War , China has rapidly improved its relations with Iraq. In 2018, China's bilateral trade volume with Iraq exceeded US$30 billion, replacing India as Iraq's largest trading partner. Subsequently, the Iraqi Prime Minister visited China in 2019 and signed the "oil for reconstruction" agreement with China, and the relationship between the two countries was further consolidated. In 2021, Iraq has become the biggest beneficiary of China's Belt and Road Initiative investment projects.
And the role played by Chinese companies in Iraq in rebuilding the economy is obvious to all. From the completion of heavy oil plants, to the construction of roads and schools, and the promotion of green energy projects in the local area, Chinese companies have played a very important role.
[After the Iraq War, China's relationship with Iraq continued to develop]
All the above prove that China is definitely a reliable partner. Iraq naturally wants to strike while the iron is hot and accelerate modernization by bringing more strategic projects into the cooperation framework of "oil for reconstruction".
besides the internal factors of Iraq itself. The external factors of the Middle East geopolitical environment cannot be ignored. You should know that after the US withdraws troops from Afghanistan , its influence on the Middle East has greatly reduced. China's geopolitical influence here is growing. At present, the Gulf countries are China's important oil partners, and the former is also actively expanding relations with China and making good use of technology from China.
It can be said that not only Iraq, but also China and other Middle Eastern countries maintain stable and friendly relations. Iran is a very convincing example. In March last year, China and Iran signed a 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement, one of which is that Iran exports oil to China at preferential prices, while China invested US$400 billion in Iran's infrastructure field.
[Iraq is willing to follow the 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between China and Iran]
This cooperation agreement between China and Iran can also be regarded as a good start in the Middle East. Because of the similar cooperation model of "oil for infrastructure", it is also reflected in China's relationship with Saudi Arabia's . Considering that Saudi and Iran are both influential regional powers in the Middle East, the two have deepened cooperation with China and have made up their minds for the Iraqi government to a certain extent and further expanded the "oil for reconstruction" agreement, which has played a boosting role.
Because in terms of framework, Iraq's "oil for reconstruction" agreement, the 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between China and Iraq, and a series of cooperation projects between China and Saudi Arabia, have many similarities, but the scale is not as good as that.
[The relationship between China and the Middle East, "oil for infrastructure" is a major feature]
Iran's example is worth expanding. Unlike Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Iran's relationship with the United States is very tense and has been sanctioned by the United States and its Western allies for a long time, and the domestic oil industry has been severely hit. It is obviously a major oil country, but it can't find a channel for export at one time.
It was not until the signing of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between China and Iran that Iran's oil production capacity gradually recovered.With China's support, Iran has the confidence to continue to challenge the United States. The cooperation in oil is just one link in the 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between China and Iran, not all. As Iran's neighbor, Iraq must be somewhat jealous of this.
However, there is still a difference in the situation between Iraq and Iran. Because the United States still has a great influence in Iraq, there may be a lot of resistance if Iraq wants to deepen cooperation with China, which requires the two countries to show strategic determination and respond seriously.
[The United States has a great influence in Iraq]
But then again, Iraq's decision to introduce more strategic projects into the "oil for reconstruction" agreement with China is actually a microcosm of the overall trend of the Middle East: that is, China's influence in the Middle East is growing. Against the backdrop of the decline in the United States' influence, China has begun to play an indispensable role in the geopolitical structure of the Middle East. Gone are the days when the United States dominated the Middle East.
