China-Iraq Cooperation: The West Should Be Grateful for China

Recently China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid visits to Afghanistan and Iraq, and it is worth noting that the trip to Iraq has grabbed quite the attention from several Western governments and media. They feel deeply uneasy and unhappy toward the rapid development of the China-Iraq relationship.

Wang Yi’s visit to Iraq is the first time China’s foreign minister visited the country in 23 years, and the trip came bearing a very clear theme: “A trip of support and cooperation.” During the visit, Wang Yi held fruitful meetings with high-ranking officials such as the Iraqi prime minister, the National Assembly speaker and the foreign minister, and they reached consensus on many aspects, such as deepened bilateral ties and expanded bilateral cooperation. The three key areas of cooperation and five-point proposals for cooperation that Wang brought forward were highly recognized and praised.

Yet the promising developments of the China-Iraq relationship have aroused concern in the West. To sum it up, Western countries’ fears and discontent can basically be divided into the following two categories: One, as The New York Times has said, Americans bled in the Iraq War, but China ended up as the “biggest beneficiary” because half of Iraq’s oil production was sold to China. Chinese companies flourished in the reconstruction of the postwar market, robbing some Westerners of their predestined “large cake.” Two, the postwar Iraq did not become the “follower” the U.S. had hoped and instead grew more distant from the U.S. but more close to countries such as China, Russia and Iran by the day.

However the converging China-Iraq relationship, as opposed to the distancing between the latter and the West, is a change for which the West should blame no other than themselves. The continuous convergence of the China-Iraq relationship is inevitable to both history and this time era. The Western mentality is the typical “envy, jealousy, hatred.”

The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2011,* but was unable to establish the democratic model it sought after 10 years of war. Thus in late 2011 the U.S. military withdrew from Iraq, leaving behind a broken country that needed genuine external support. During the times when Iraq’s security situation was deteriorating and the country was facing enormous difficulties in the wake of reconstruction, Western governments and firms set their mind on “evacuating” from Iraq so as to avoid getting stalled in risks. China, on the other hand, courageously lent a helping hand to Iraq and provided it with the desperately needed support and cooperation. This demonstrated China’s friendship with its Arab brethren and her duties as an emerging power. The selfish, irresponsible West, however, let down Iraq and ruined its own image.

Unlike the West’s condescending Iraq policy that revolves around self-interest, China’s relations with Arab countries and Iraq are based on the foundation of brotherhood, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. This relationship will naturally deepen, and the cooperation will win over the hearts of many.

Practically speaking, not only should the West not be upset over and not attack China for developing the China-Iraq relationship, they should be grateful to China. The West irresponsibly withdrew after destroying Iraq, leaving behind a mess. It was the Chinese government that stepped up and played a vital role in Iraq’s postwar restoration of stability and economic reconstruction.

Iraq’s postwar oil production increased from 1.3 million barrels per day in 2003 to the current 3 million barrels per day, re-emerging as one of the world’s largest oil producers and OPEC’s second largest exporter, and this can mainly be attributed to China. Recovery of the oil industry and increase in oil production and exports provided sufficient fiscal revenue for the Iraqi government, which was essential to Iraq’s postwar reconstruction and stability. The West needed such stability and reconstruction but was unwilling to invest.

It thus can be said that if it were not for China, the West would have had to face an even more desolated Iraq, and the U.S. military would have had trouble leaving. Speaking from this perspective, China indirectly helped the U.S. achieve its withdrawal and strategic eastward shift, allowing for concentration in the Asia-Pacific. I’m afraid that the Obama administration would have to be grateful to China.

* Editor’s note: The correct year is 2003.