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