Jointly Building a New Business Card for Win-Win Cooperation between Iraq and China

The towering tower, winding pipe gallery, and huge storage tank shine brightly in the direct sunlight. With a scorching sun overhead, Iraqi civil engineer Ala Abdullah dressed in work clothes walked up to the workers who were binding steel bars, carefully checking whether the steel bar model and size met the requirements of the drawings. He then walked up to the workers responsible for formwork support, carefully checking whether the formwork support was firm and tight.

At our feet is the Hafaya oil field, one of the seven giant oil fields in Iraq! "Abdullah proudly told our reporter." The close cooperation between the builders of Iraq and China has ensured the efficient and sustainable operation of the oil fields, and jointly created a new business card for win-win cooperation between Iraq and China

More than 10 years ago, the builders of China petroleum engineering Construction Co., Ltd. came here to participate in the development and construction of Halfaya Oilfield. A year later, Abdullah, who was originally a farmer, joined the project construction. My happy life began after coming to a Chinese company, "Abdullah said with a simple smile as he recalled his work experience over the years.

At that time, my father and a few fellow villagers came here, hoping to find some work to support our family, "Abdullah said. At first, due to a lack of skills, he could only do tasks such as paving roads and building flower beds. Thanks to my Chinese colleagues, they always teach me techniques hand in hand and patiently. With everyone's help, Abdullah gradually mastered techniques such as foundation formwork, steel bar binding, concrete pouring, and asphalt anti-corrosion treatment, and learned to arrange the process reasonably. With the transformation of his job position and steady increase in income, he purchased a new car and moved into a new house.

According to incomplete statistics, over the past 10 years, China petroleum engineering Construction Co., Ltd. has created more than 6000 jobs for Iraq. "As long as the local people can do the work, we will subcontract it to them. Many local villagers put down their sheep whip and become oil workers," said Zhang Yousen, head of the Middle East Company of China petroleum engineering Construction Co., Ltd.

In 2012, the company established a training center in Basra Province, Iraq, to provide free training on welding, scaffolding, and other skills for local villagers. As of now, the center has trained over 8000 local personnel. In order to better cultivate localized talents, in 2013, the company also signed a memorandum of understanding with the School of Engineering at the University of Basra on cooperative education, providing opportunities for fresh graduates to intern and work in projects.

36 year old Nuha Muhammad is one of the beneficiaries. After graduating from Basra University in 2012, she has been working for this company. In December 2018, Nuha, as a representative of outstanding local employees, went to Beijing to participate in a 10 day training session. During my training in China, through learning, visits, discussions, and exchanges, I deeply realized the spirit of hard work and self-reliance of Chinese oil industry workers.

The flame of the high-pressure torch burned fiercely, the valve of the oil well was opened, and oil and gas smoothly entered the production and processing system. In September 2018, the successful operation of the third central processing station in the Hafaya Oilfield left a lasting impression on Abdullah. The Hafaya oilfield has successfully achieved a breakthrough in producing 20 million tons, becoming a model of efficient post-war oilfield development in Iraq and highly praised by the Iraqi government.

Former Iraqi Minister of Oil, Luis Al Abi, stated: "The high standard and high-quality construction of the Hafaya oil field has achieved unprecedented results. We are grateful to Chinese enterprises for their outstanding contributions to the economic revitalization of Iraq, the development of the oil industry, and the improvement of the living standards of the local people

With the completion of the first, second, and third phases of the construction projects of the Hafaya Oilfield, the barren swampland has been transformed into a modern large oil field. After completing the inspection work, Abdullah looked at this land with deep affection and said, "The Chinese oil people are building oil fields in my hometown, driving the economy here and providing us with more development opportunities. I believe that with our joint efforts, my hometown will definitely usher in a better future