On February 8^th, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency wrote an article entitled, "I’m All Well in Iraq - Chinese Employees Stick to the Frontline of Resuming Work in Iraq’s Oilfields during the Spring Festival”. He reported on the warm moments during the Chinese New Year when ZPEC employees posted Spring Festival rhymes, issued red envelopes, ate dumplings, and held live videos with family members, as well as Chinese employees sticking to the scene, actively participating in the normal production and resumption of multiple projects such as Rumaila and East Baghdad Oilfield.  The article documented the news of the fastest resumption of production in Iraq. Up to now, this newsletter report had been reprinted by many well-known domestic media.

Xinhua News Agency report manuscript:

"Newsletter: "Everything is well in Iraq"- Chinese employees stick to the front line of Iraqi oilfield resumption during the Spring Festival"

Xinhua News Agency, Baghdad, February 8^th. Changxing Jia, a 36-year-old cementing truck operator in the East Baghdad Oilfield, Iraq, skillfully operated the equipment and debugged the cementing truck that had been resting for half a year. Around the Spring Festival, it is the most critical moment for the resumption of drilling for the East Baghdad Oilfield drilling project.

The East Baghdad Oilfield is located about 30 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, with recoverable reserves of about 8 billion barrels. It is a super giant oilfield that Iraq has been developing in recent years. After the pandemic, the East Baghdad oil field drilling project contracted by ZPEC Iraq Branch was forced to temporarily suspend work.

Changxing Jia told reporters that after receiving the letter of resumption of work at the beginning of this year, as the project implementation party, the employees of Sinoman Petroleum returned to Iraq and stayed on the front line of the oilfield during the Spring Festival’s resumption of work.

During the Spring Festival, more than 200 Chinese employees stayed at the East Baghdad Oilfield and were expected to complete the heavy task of 4 wells. Because of the pandemic and safety risks, employees could only close their activities in the camp. During the Chinese New Year, posting Spring Festival rhymes, giving red envelopes, eating hot dumplings, and having family videos were the most warm moments on the overseas project.

"Because the project will resume work and production before the Spring Festival this year, I am really sorry for not being able to accompany you during the New Year," Changxing Jia said to his parents and his wife in Linyi, Shandong during the interview. "My life and work in Iraq are all well. Please take good care of yourself." He said that working in Iraq is very hard. The high temperature of more than 50 degrees Celsius in summer, coupled with the roar of cementing trucks and the heat wave of diesel engines, makes it easy to have a heatstroke. When the sandstorm hits, you can't see anything within 10 meters, and the sand hurts like a nail.

Yafei Zhao, General Manager of the Iraq branch of ZPEC, said that during the worst period of the pandemic last year, ZPEC had 423 employees staying on the front line to maintain the normal production and operation of the local oil fields in order to ensure the stable supply and export of Iraq’s energy. Under the normalization of the pandemic, Chinese employees stuck to the scene and actively participated in the normal production and resumption of multiple projects such as Rumaila and East Baghdad Oilfield.

Speaking of the persistence and comeback of Chinese oil companies, Mohammed Ali, Deputy Director of the Drilling Department of Central Iraq Oil Company, spoke highly of it, "Thanks to Chinese oil companies for helping the East Baghdad Oilfield become the fastest oil field in Iraq to resume production!"