China wins Iraq post-war contract

China wins Iraq post-war contract

BEIJING: China has won its first contract in post-war Iraq, sealing a deal with the Iraqi Ministry of Communication to supply the country with telecommunications equipment, state media said on Tuesday.

The Zhongxing Telecom Co (ZTE) signed a contract worth US$5 million after six months of difficult negotiations, the Xinhua news agency said on its website.

The deal was concluded in the face of what Xinhua said was "some resistance" on the part of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority.

"On the one hand, the Iraqis themselves wished to continue working with China but on the other the Coalition Provisional Authority seemed to spare no effort in its desire to see all the contracts go to American companies," ZTE's project manager Dong Baoping was quoted as saying.

Several other Chinese companies have been to Iraq to bid for reconstruction projects, but all returned empty-handed, Xinhua said. -- AFP