ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Chinese and Iraqi militaries enjoy friendly ties marked by “fruitful cooperation,” Beijing’s defense ministry said Thursday, adding that its approach to arms exports aligns with its broader push for peace, including in the Middle East, “as soon as possible.”
In response to a question by Rudaw's Mahdi Faraji about military cooperation with Baghdad, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for Beijing's defense ministry, stated, "China and Iraqi militaries enjoy a traditionally friendly relationship, and the two sides have engaged in fruitful cooperation, including personnel exchanges and training between military academies."
Iraq has since 2015 turned to China for armed drone procurement, including the low-cost, missile-capable CaiHong-4, which has become integral to Baghdad's counter-insurgency operations against Islamic State (ISIS) remnants. The Iraqi Army has since expanded its reliance on Chinese defense tech, procuring the newer CaiHong-5 variants as well.
Security ties broadened further in September 2015, when Iraq joined a Baghdad-based intelligence-sharing cell, which Beijing used information from to monitor regional extremist movements, including radicalized fighters who might return to Xinjiang or target Chinese personnel overseeing oil operations in southern Iraq.
On a diplomatic level, China's Deputy United Nations Ambassador Dai Bing urged in a February 2023 Security Council briefing that the international community continue supporting Iraq in fighting terrorism and preventing the return and spread of groups like ISIS.
Jiang on Thursday noted his country's "prudent and responsible attitude towards arms exports," explaining that China "adheres to the three principles of arms exports: contributing to the legitimate defense capabilities of the recipient country, not undermining peace, security, and stability in the relevant region and the world, and not interfering in the internal affairs of the recipient country."
The senior defense ministry official further pointed to Beijing's ongoing efforts to help stabilize the Middle East.
"As a friend and partner of Middle Eastern countries, China has always upheld a fair stance, actively working to promote peace and stop conflict," Jiang said, affirming his country's willingness to "work with the international community to continue making unremitting efforts to restore peace and tranquility to the Middle East as soon as possible."
