Iraqi economy open to China – Maliki

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Premier Nouri al-Maliki stated today that the Iraqi economic fields are open to China for its rehabilitation and construction, calling on Chinese companies to expand their work in Iraq.  In a statement issued by his office, during the Iraqi-Chinese economic cooperation conference, Maliki called on Chinese companies “to expand their work to cover fields of energy, housing, industry, agriculture, and infrastructures.”  Premier Maliki pointed out the necessity of signing a bilateral agreement between the two countries to protect the investments, pointing out the importance of benefiting from the Chinese experiment in investing economic region in order to build an Iraqi model similar to the Chinese experiment.  Maliki headed a high ranking delegation in a 3-day visit to China to hold political, trade and economic talks.  The delegation comprises ministers of agriculture, industry, oil and chairman of national investment commission. RM (TI)/SR 576