The Iraqi Prime Minister has spoken highly of China's effort in helping the development of Iraq.
Haider al-Abadi made the comment ahead of his first visit to Beijing, starting from today.
"The relationship of China and Iraq has lasted for a long time. The relationship between the two nations developed further in 2003 when Iraq entered a new era. Now Chinese companies are involved in oil exploitation, infrastructure construction, and other service areas in Iraq. They have made concrete efforts in Iraq's infrastructure construction and investment promotion."
The prime minister says the Iraqi government wishes to attract investment to upgrade its oil-dependent economic structure.
He says this will also offer opportunities for China's investment in several areas such as infrastructure.
"Iraq wants to find a development path through investment instead of crude oil. To that effect, investment is the basis. I think China has powerful investment ability in countries including Iraq. Iraq has abundant oil, which serves as a guarantee for China to invest in Iraq and to conduct more cooperation in this area."
Abadi's 2-days stay in Beijing will focus on issues of China-Iraq relations and bilateral cooperation.