BAGHDAD, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi state-run al-Sabah newspaper highlighted Saturday the significance of Iraqi prime minister's visit to China for supporting Iraq's reconstruction.
There is more than one reason motivating Iraqi leaders to open up to a country possessing the capacity to support Iraq's renaissance and infrastructure construction, the newspaper said in its editorial.
China is Iraq's largest trading partner. The China-Iraq trade volume reached more than 30 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.
The editorial said that raising the level of trade and cooperation between the two countries will help Iraq to reach a new stage ahead for the bright future.
China has tremendous capability and experiences in the construction of roads, bridges, infrastructure, power plants, etc, the editorial said.
The al-Sabah editorial stressed that Iraq's openness to Asia and in particular China, is based on the depth of historical ties between Iraq and China, which extends deep into the old civilizations of China and Mesopotamia, which both presented scientific achievements and knowledge to mankind.
The newspaper said that China, with its Belt and Road Initiative, builds relations with its historical partners based on the revival of the historic ancient trade route of the Silk Road, in accordance with its political policy based on the principle of peace and mutual development.
It hailed China as a "balancing factor in international politics," while Iraq is adopting a political approach that keeps it away from conflicts, axes and polarization in the hottest regions of the world.
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, heading a large and high-ranking delegation, embarked on an official visit to China and is expected to sign agreements to improve Iraq's economy and develop its infrastructure.
