Was Adel Abdul-Mahdi's prophecy about Iraq's relations with China fulfilled?

[size=52]Was Adel Abdul-Mahdi's prophecy about Iraq's relations with China fulfilled?[/size]

[size=45]The British "Financial Times" newspaper reported, on Wednesday, that Iraq has become among the largest beneficiaries of the Chinese "Belt and Road Initiative" launched by President Xi Jinping, despite the decline in Chinese investments in the initiative in general, through energy and reconstruction contracts worth billions of dollars.[/size]
[size=45]And the newspaper explained in a report that China concluded contracts worth more than 10 billion dollars with Iraq during the past year, as part of a "strong shift" in its engagement towards the Middle East, despite the broader decline in Chinese investment abroad.[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper pointed out that these results were revealed in a report published Wednesday by the "Green Finance and Development Center" at Fudan University in the Chinese city of Shanghai, and reviewed by the Financial Times.[/size]
[size=45]She added that Beijing's efforts to promote deeper economic relations with Iraq, which is the second largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, coincides with the growing impression among Arab leaders, that the United States is "separating" from the Middle East.[/size]
[size=45]Chinese five-year plan[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper added that the researchers point out that the five-year plan of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, set until the year 2025, provides for investments abroad, including projects not affiliated with the "Belt and Road Initiative", at a value of 550 billion dollars, which means a decrease of 25% from the 740 $1 billion allocated between 2016 and 2021.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, in the Middle East and Arab countries, the newspaper indicated that the levels of investments and construction contracts increased by 360% and 116% respectively, the majority of which were allocated to infrastructure related to energy and transportation projects.[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper quoted the director of the Green Center for Finance and Development, Christoph Wang, as saying that the researchers were “surprised” by the extent of China’s engagement with the Middle East and Arab countries, explaining that “the belief was that the focus would be much more on Southeast Asia, including infrastructure, but it In fact, it was particularly motivated by Iraq, and by a strong shift towards Africa and the countries of the Middle East.”[/size]
[size=45]The newspaper pointed out that China established its position in the region in the same year that US President Joe Biden officially ended the combat mission of the US forces in Iraq and the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan after the chaotic withdrawal of the coalition forces from it.[/size]
[size=45]She pointed out that China relies on the Middle East for the majority of its energy imports, while the Arab countries are expanding the relationship with Beijing, benefiting from Chinese technology and strengthening trade relations with the second largest economy in the world.[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi-Chinese relations[/size]
[size=45]The report also indicated that relations between China and Iraq were strengthened during the era of former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who had described Sino-Iraqi relations in 2019 as ready to achieve a "paradigm shift."[/size]
[size=45]He added that Iraq occupies the position of the third largest oil exporter to China, and that in addition, Iraqi officials were keen to secure Chinese investments to help develop the deteriorating infrastructure, as many Western companies were reluctant to place their investments outside Iraq's oil and gas sectors in He continued to suffer from political turmoil and sporadic waves of violence.[/size]
[size=45]According to the British newspaper, the new deals concluded between Chinese and Iraqi companies include the Al-Khayrat Al-Kabeer power plant in Karbala province, the reconstruction of the international airport in Nassiriya, and the development of the Mansouriya gas field near the border with Iran.[/size]
[size=45]The report also pointed out that Iraq signed last December with the Chinese companies "Power Construction Corporation" and "Sino-Tech" to build 1,000 schools, whose costs will be paid through oil products.[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by noting that the Chinese president launched the "Belt and Road Initiative" in 2013, but after several years of rapid growth, the pace of loan provision through the "Belt and Road" has recently slowed.[/size]
[size=45]He explained that there was a total of 59.5 billion dollars in Chinese financial investment and contractual cooperation across 144 countries in the "Belt and Road Initiative" in 2021, down from 60.5 billion dollars in 2020, according to a report by the "Green Center for Finance and Development."[/size]
[size=45]While the value of contracts reached 45.6 billion dollars, up from 37 billion dollars, investments amounted to 13.9 billion dollars from 23.4 billion dollars.[/size]
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