Recently, two Chinese companies are actively working with the Iraqi government to build about 30,000 housing units in Iraq. However, the project has led to questions from journalists of the Iraqi media group, and at the press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Iraqi side questioned in person why the project does not have a housing unit in any province of the Kurdish region.
In this regard, China's response is very worthy of reflection by the Iranian side, and the Iranian side should also understand China's difficulties.
(Chinese companies help Iraq's construction)
Iraq is home to Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations, especially in the Middle East where water is scarce, rivers are more precious, and Iraq happens to be located in the basin of two rivers, one is the Euphrates, the other is the Tigris. The upper reaches are mountains, the lower reaches are vast plains, and in the middle of the two rivers is the Fertile Crescent, also known as the Mesopotamian plain, where early human civilization was born.
But this fertile land has a history of controversy, and Iraq is not only strategically located in the Middle East, but also has multiple ethnic and religious groups, so differences and conflicts have always accompanied the development of this civilization.
(Euphrates River in Iraq)
The Iraqi Kurdistan Region is an ethnic autonomous region in Iraq, located in the north of Iraq, an area of about 80,000 square kilometers, the population of about 5.5 million in the region, the capital is located in Erbil, the jurisdiction of three regions, respectively, Erbil province, Sulaymaniyah province, Dohuk province. The region has been an autonomous region of Iraq since 1947, but in September 2017, the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq held a referendum, which showed that 92% of people voted in favor of independence for the Kurdish autonomous region. But at the time, the leader of Iraq's Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, said the vote was not a declaration of independence, but should be the start of negotiations.
In fact, the Kurds have always wanted to establish their own country. Whether in terms of history, population, or the principle of national self-determination, the conditions for the Kurds to establish a state are no worse than those of the Jews or Palestinians. However, the Kurds have repeatedly stood on the wrong side at major turning points in history, and finally, they were stabbed by Turkey and signed the Lausanne Treaty. Kurdish land was divided into four parts, the largest part in Turkey, and the remaining three parts were given to Iran, French Syria, and British Iraq, as it is today.
(Massoud Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq)
It is well known that the United States launched the Gulf War in 1991, and the chaos in Iraq, so that the Kurds in Iraq saw the hope of statehood, because the Iraqi Kurdish region was already rich in oil and gas resources, which provided a substantial foundation for the economic self-sufficiency and independence of the region. Moreover, after the Gulf War, the Kurdish region developed a relatively independent administration and armed forces, and although the region enjoys autonomy within the framework of the Iraqi constitution, it still wants to further consolidate and expand its autonomy.
However, the path to independence for Iraq's Kurdish region is not smooth. The challenges include opposition from Iraq's central government, concerns from neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran, which also have large Kurdish populations, and the attitude of the international community, which has even triggered negative responses including economic blockades and military intervention.
(The United States started the Gulf War.)
Therefore, when an Iraqi journalist asked why houses were not built in the Kurdish region, it was not necessary for the Iraqi people to use this question to see China's attitude towards the Kurdish region.
After all, China's attitude toward Iraq's Kurdish region has always been cautious and emphasized territorial integrity and respect for sovereignty. In international affairs, China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. China has a strategic partnership with Iraq, and China is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the central government of Iraq and local governments at all levels to continuously enrich the connotation of China-Iraq strategic partnership.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was responding to questions from Iraqi journalists. China and Iraq enjoy friendly relations. As a sincere friend of the Iraqi people, China has been actively participating in Iraq's economic reconstruction and making positive contributions to Iraq's economic and social development, which has been widely praised by the Iraqi government and people. We are ready to make joint efforts with Iran to push for new progress in bilateral practical cooperation in various fields.
(Chinese technical workers teach young Iraqi employees to carry out measurement lofting)
In fact, as Iraq's Kurdish region plays an increasingly important role in regional politics and energy production, China has maintained pragmatic economic cooperation with the Kurdish regional government while respecting the central government of Iraq.
Taking a step back, it is necessary to understand China's difficulties in dealing with the Iraqi journalists, because this is China's practical cooperation to help Iraq improve the lives of the Iraqi people, and the starting point is very good. Such difficult questions should not be used to question the sincerity of the cooperation between the two sides. In addition, the answer to this question, the Iraqi government may give a good explanation, the initial intention of the Chinese enterprises to participate in the cooperation is not political, but more economic cooperation. As an old Chinese saying goes, to solve the Kurdish issue, the Iraqi government should be more proactive, actively consult with all parties, and properly and peacefully resolve the issue. This will also help China to better cooperate with all parties in Iraq.
