China ready to share climate change experience with Iraq

BEIJING, China - China is ready to help Iraq tackle the crisis of climate change by sharing its experiences in the field, an official from the state department responsible for implementing green development policies said on Friday

China is rich with coal while Iraq is rich with oil and gas and both countries should work toward a green transformation, Dua Hua, deputy director of the Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection Department of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission, told Rudaw during a press conference in Beijing.

He extended a helping hand to Iraq. 

“We are also willing to share relevant experience and practices with many countries, including Iraq, to strengthen mutual exchanges and cooperation, including technical and policy exchanges and cooperation, to jointly face climate change and enhance our capabilities,” he said.

The press conference was held at the State Council of the People's Republic of China. 

“Although China and Iraq do have significant differences in natural conditions, industrial structure, and energy structure, as developing countries, we often face similar problems in promoting the dual carbon transition,” noted Hua. 

“We need to balance the relationship between economic development, improving people's livelihoods, and addressing climate change,” he added. 

China’s ties with Iraq are steadily growing. Bilateral trade between them reached over $27.5 billion in the first half of the year.

China’s consul general to Erbil in August expressed Beijing’s willingness to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on reducing pollution based on China’s own history with what he described as a “very big headache.”

Xia Ying Xian, director of the Climate Change Response Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, said in response to Rudaw’s question at the presser that climate change is a global issue and needs to be addressed by all countries. 

“Therefore, China has always been open to cooperation with all countries. We are also willing to work with Iraq to strengthen cooperation in this field. In particular, our two countries are developing countries, and we have established a strategic partnership of cooperation,” he said. 

“We will hold climate training courses every year to improve the theoretical knowledge of climate change for developing countries. We are willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with developing countries, including Iraq, in the face of climate change and improve the ability to respond to extreme weather events to provide support,” added the official. 

Regarding desertification, a serious problem in Iraq, deputy director of China’s Development Planning Department of the National Energy Administration told Rudaw at the same press conference that his country has experience in controlling desertification through photovoltaic technology. 

“If the Iraqi side is interested in this, we are willing to carry out relevant exchanges with the Iraqi side and strengthen cooperation in these areas,” Dong Wan Cheng said. 

China is the world’s biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, accounting for 30 percent of global emissions, according to European Union data, and its emissions are increasing. Iraq is among the nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.