China’s envoy praised ties between his country and the Kurdistan Region, saying their relations have deepened in the seven years since Beijing opened its office in Erbil. “Chinese people and the Kurdish people belong to the ancient peoples of the world. We have a long history of civilization and our exchanges began as early as 2000 years before, through the Silk Road,” Chinese Consul-General Ni Ruchi told Rudaw’s Rebaz Ali in an interview on September 27. China opened its consulate in Erbil in 2014 and since then “cooperation and the friendly relationship [between] our two sides has deepened,” said Ni Ni added that the Kurdistan Regional Government has plans to open a representation office in China. Trade between China and Iraq reached $16 billion in the first six months of this year. China is also the biggest importer of Iraqi oil. Chinese companies have “built some cement factories in Kurdistan Region, steel factories, recycling factories, and also we are participating in the oil and gas exploration and also communication projects,” said Ni. “Also the two sides are discussing some cooperation projects such as water resources, electricity, and oil refinery and other projects,” he added.
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