Iraq eyes more oil exports to China

As Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is set to start his first official visit to China on Tuesday, experts have highlighted energy and infrastructure as key areas of cooperation for the war-ravaged country.

Baghdad also might seek more political support from Beijing, at a time when it is busy tackling both terrorism and the aftermath of a brief border incursion by the Turkish military, the experts said.

Abadi, who took office in September last year, was invited by Premier Li Keqiang for a two-day visit.

"We are looking forward to increasing our oil production and exports, and I believe that China can contribute in such fields," Abadi told Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

Investment in infrastructure is also important, and Iraqis are looking forward to such investment, he said. "And I believe China has great capacity to invest in Iraq."

Figures provided by the Foreign Ministry show that China imported more than 28 million metric tons of crude oil from the Middle East country last year, a year-on-year increase of 21.5 percent.

Zhu Weilie, director of the Center for China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Studies, said that since oil prices are low, "it is of great necessity to strengthen liaison cooperation with China, a major consumer of oil".

Iraq has shown an interest in China's Belt and Road Initiative, and Zhu said Iraq "is indeed a major country in the Middle East in the sense of energy and population".

Li Shaoxian, an expert of Middle East studies at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, said al-Abadi is arriving in Beijing partly "for political support, because his country is in quite a difficult situation", and "China will offer support within its capacity".

The two countries are also expected to boost cooperation in the fight against terrorism, a vital component of the relationship, Li said.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn