Chinese Government provides provides a grant — via an August 2006 ETCA — for the Container Inspection Equipment Project

Project narrative

On April 26, 2007, the Chinese Ambassador to Iraq, Chen Xiaodong, and the Iraqi Vice Minister of Finance, Salman Nasser Al-Makuter, signed an agreement for a Container Inspection Equipment Project, in which the Chinese Government agreed to donate two container inspection systems to Iraq. The monetary value of these container inspection systems is unknown. However, it is known that the costs of the container inspection systems were covered by a grant provided by the Chinese Government in an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) signed by the two governments on August 2, 2006. The Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) was the provider of the funds. The purpose of this project was to acquire and install 2 container inspection systems at the Safwan Border Crossing and the Umm Qasr Port (Iraq's only deep water port). The equipment was expected to improve the stability and reconstruction of Iraq. Nuctech Company Limited was the contractor responsible for project implementation. The equipment was delivered to the Safwan Border Crossing and the Umm Qasr Port — via Kuwait — on December 13, 2007. To allow Iraqi customs officials to use and operate the equipment correctly, Nuctech conducted a one-month operation and maintenance training for 12 Iraqi technicians in Beijing. The project handover certificate was then signed by the two governments in a ceremony held on January 13, 2008.