STORY: Iraqi president commends China's role in rebuilding Iraq on 65th anniversary of ties
DATELINE: Sept. 3, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:48
LOCATION: Baghdad
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Iraq
2. various of Iraqi President
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
7. various of Iraq and China

STORYLINE:

On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of China-Iraq diplomatic ties, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid praised China's effective contribution to rebuilding war-torn Iraq.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua in the presidential "Baghdad Palace," Rashid congratulated the peoples and governments of the two countries, stressing bilateral relations "have developed" and "are now developing well."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
"As you mentioned, relations between the two countries were established 65 years ago and have developed, and they are now developing well. We are happy, and we care deeply about the relationship between Iraq and China."

Rashid recalled the decades of suffering and problems that Iraq experienced due to wars, sanctions, and terrorism, expressing thanks to Chinese companies for rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
"I am very happy and proud now that the situation in Iraq is different from the past, and we appreciate the efforts of international companies, including Chinese companies, for their efforts in rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure.
We are very happy and interested in the presence of Chinese companies in the country, and we thank them for their presence and support in terms of infrastructure as well as services in Iraq, as I mentioned, many Chinese companies are working hard."

In 2015, the Iraqi and Chinese governments announced the establishment of a strategic partnership and they agreed to cooperate on joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, which injected new impetus into bilateral relations.

With the support of the two governments, many projects with economic and social benefits have been agreed upon or implemented smoothly in recent years, and the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has become increasingly close.

According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China is Iraq's largest trading partner and Iraq is China's third-largest trading partner among Arab countries.

Rashid applauded the China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative, saying it respects the diversity of civilizations and advocates the common values of humanity.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
"And we must exploit them (ancient civilizations) to serve all humanity, not just a specific region. Cooperation and coordination between civilizations are very necessary among all peoples of the world because all civilizations are linked to all peoples and not to one place or region.
As you mentioned, China and Iraq had civilizations that are perhaps the oldest in the world, so coordination and cooperation for civilization and culture are (very necessary) because culture is part of civilization."

However, he believes that global civilization is threatened by terrorism, and there is no way to eliminate it except through the joint action of the international community.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): ABDUL LATIF RASHID, Iraqi President
"It is very necessary for the international community to cooperate and coordinate to combat terrorism all over the world because terrorism is like cancer when it is present in a place, it spreads all over the world."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Baghdad.
(XHTV)