China offered to help Iraq combat Islamic State militants, Iraq’s foreign minister, Ibrahim Jafari, told the Financial Times.
Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, offered to assist defeat the Islamic state when he met Jafari in New York at the United Nations anti-terrorism meeting in September, reports the paper.
“I welcomed this initiative. I told him we are ready to deal with the coalition and also co-operate with countries outside this coalition,” said Jafari.
China’s defence ministry declined to comment on Jafari’s remarks. A foreign ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, also declining to comment on the issue, said “China has been fighting terrorism and has been providing support and assistance to Iraq, including the Kurdish region in our own way, and we will continue to do so within the best of our capabilities.”
China is the largest foreign investor in Iraq’s oil sector. For the first time, China contributed troops to a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Mali. A battalion of 700 Chinese troops were also deployed to join UN peacekeepers in South Sudan last year.
Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, offered to assist defeat the Islamic state when he met Jafari in New York at the United Nations anti-terrorism meeting in September, reports the paper.
Jafari noted that Chinese involvement would be independent from the US-led coalition, Jafari told the paper.
“I welcomed this initiative. I told him we are ready to deal with the coalition and also co-operate with countries outside this coalition,” said Jafari.
China’s defence ministry declined to comment on Jafari’s remarks. A foreign ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, also declining to comment on the issue, said “China has been fighting terrorism and has been providing support and assistance to Iraq, including the Kurdish region in our own way, and we will continue to do so within the best of our capabilities.”
China is the largest foreign investor in Iraq’s oil sector. For the first time, China contributed troops to a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Mali. A battalion of 700 Chinese troops were also deployed to join UN peacekeepers in South Sudan last year.