Iraq: Chinese Development Finance Profile, 2000-2022
Date Published
Oct 10, 2025
Authors
Lea Thome, Brooke Escobar
Publisher
Citation
Thome, L. and Escobar, B. (2025). Iraq: The Scale, Scope, and Composition of Chinese Development Finance. Williamsburg, VA: AidData at William & Mary.
Abstract
This country profile provides a detailed overview of the scale, scope, and composition of Chinese state-directed financing in Iraq from 2000 to 2022. It includes granular information on key trends in China’s loan and grant-financed commitments, its lending portfolio, ESG risks in its infrastructure projects, and contractual safeguards adoption and implementation.
From 2000 to 2022, China directed $17.6 billion in loan and grant-financed commitments for 56 projects in Iraq. China’s engagement with Iraq rests on two pillars—legacy debt relief and oil‑secured development finance that has scaled up during the later BRI years, including a 2018 framework agreement with Sinosure for up to $10 billion of credit for infrastructure projects backed by oil sales.
The insights in this profile are derived from AidData’s Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset, Version 3.0 and the sources referenced therein. Additional 2022 data collection is based on a forthcoming dataset version launching in November 2025.
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