China imports +60M tons of Iraqi crude in 2024

Shafaq News – Baghdad (Updated at 22:43)

China imported 64 million tons of crude oil from Iraq in 2024, making it one of Baghdad’s leading economic partners, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Wednesday.

Marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan, Xu Haifeng, the counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Iraq, highlighted that Chinese companies have long been active in Iraq’s energy sector, contributing to the reconstruction of the oil industry and facilitating crude exports to international markets.

Emphasizing that Iraq and China are ready to expand cooperation in oil and electricity, Xu also noted Beijing’s support for Iraq’s telecommunications sector and its role in strengthening Iraqi security forces through training programs aimed at countering terrorism.

Bilateral trade reached roughly $54.2 billion in 2024, with investments spanning oil and gas development, power generation, telecommunications, and construction. According to Chinese government data released in 2025, Iraq now supplies nearly 10% of China’s total crude oil imports, highlighting the ''growing strategic and economic interdependence between the two countries.''