Kurdistan Region...” - Former Consul-General of the People’S Republic of China to Erbil
MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA China’s Cooperation with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region OE Watch Commentary: The accompanying passages from local sources discuss China’s growing diplomatic and economic relationship with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). As the passages discuss, this is taking place amid China’s plans to significantly upgrade its diplomatic presence in Erbil, the IKR capital. As the first passage from Chinese Xinhua notes, in late July, China’s Consul General in Erbil, Ni Ruchi met with the IKR President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil to discuss deepening cooperation in the fields of energy and infrastructure, “within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.” The passage also notes that the two sides discussed the political situation and efforts to rebuild areas that were destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as cooperation between their respective private sectors. This meeting followed a previous meeting in April, when then-Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani received an invitation to China. The second passage from a Kurdish source discusses a proposal by the region’s private sector to the Chinese representatives in Erbil. According to the passage, the Vice President of the local Union of Importers and Exporters suggested that China open a trade center in the region to use as a central hub from which to market and sell its technological products in the region. The Chinese Consul General is reported to have supported the idea. In addition, the Chinese private sector is encouraged to develop economic and trade cooperation with the IKR. Specifically, as the final passage discusses, China has been supporting companies like Huawei, Sinoma-Suzhou, and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to invest in the region for several years.
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