Iraq Profile of Chinese Development Finance, 2000-2023

This country profile provides a detailed overview of the scale, scope, and composition of Chinese state-directed financing in Iraq from 2000 to 2023. 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 2023, China provided 36 grant-related official commitments and directed $10.6 billion via 31 loans issued 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 China's Global Loans and Grants Dataset, Version 1.0 and the sources referenced therein.