The Times of India
February 5, 2004

Beijing: China on Thursday said it will write-off an undetermined amount of the debt owed by Iraq and reopen its embassy in Baghdad soon which would also help protect its interests in the multi-billion dollar reconstruction projects in the war-torn nation.

Chinese leaders have decided to write off Iraq’s debts as a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told reporters here.

“The specific numbers and size is under review and consideration,” she said while declining to reveal the size of Iraq’s debt to China.

“China is also a developing country and the reason why China is considering to write-off Iraq’s debt is that we are sympathetic to the humanitarian situation in Iraq and we do hope that Iraqi people will embark on the road towards peace, stability and development,” she said replying to a question.

She also pointed out that China had provided $25 million to Iraq at the Madrid donor conference in 2003.

Zhang said an “embassy reactivation group” headed by Chinese interim Charge d’Affairs to Iraq , Sun Bigan, will leave for Baghdad soon. The team is composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce.

China had closed down its embassy in Iraq in March in the aftermath of the US-led war against Iraq. After the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, the Chinese embassy was looted.

The Chinese officials will meet the Iraqi Governing Council as well as the interim administration there, Zhang said.