“The language school is a projection of Chinese soft power, to familiarize the region with China. Chinese companies dominate Iraq’s key economic sector, oil, and Beijing consumes 40% of Iraq’s crude exports. In 2017, the Chinese consulate approached Salahaddin University’s College of Languages with the idea of a Chinese language department. Other oil companies, including Russia’s Lukoil, are demanding amendments to contract terms as a condition to remain. Chinese companies dominate oil contracts, from operating fields to providing downstream services, and they continue to win more.
