Iraqi economists hail outcomes of China's annual central economic work conference

Iraqi economic experts praised the outcomes of China's latest annual Central Economic Work Conference, emphasizing that it outlines a future phase of economic progress and the overcoming of existing and potential obstacles.

The conference was held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday as Chinese leaders decided on priorities for the economic work in 2026.

As part of China's continued development and economic advancement, Iraqi experts described the meeting outcomes as a roadmap for the future, focusing on overcoming current crises by promoting development and prioritizing economic objectives.

Safwan Qusay, professor of economics at the University of Baghdad, stated, "Investing in digitalization, investing in the green economy, these are certainly trends that can be gateways to economic growth in the coming periods. 2030 will certainly witness more economic integration. This conference and others, this trend, and rebuilding strategies sustainably will enable countries around the world to become more open to the Chinese economy in the next phase."

Efforts will be made to develop a unified national market and continuously prevent and defuse risks in key areas, according to the meeting.

The meeting also called for efforts to strive to achieve the goals and tasks for economic and social development next year and get the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) off to a good start.

"This sustains the momentum of this development and this economy, which has achieved a leading position over many economies of the world, in the balance of policy coming from 2026 to 2030. Thus, we see that these meetings define the course of development in conjunction with the leadership's role in the legislative and executive branches of the Chinese state. We observe that China is now trying to maintain the momentum of its continued success at the same pace in order to curb the challenges that may arise in the next five years," said Amir al-Saadi, a researcher in political and economic affairs in Iraq.

Iraqi economists hail outcomes of China's annual central economic work conference

The closure of Poipet border crossing, the largest land border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia, has left large numbers of people stranded on both sides of the border and unable to return home amid continuing clashes.

At the Thai side of the border on Saturday, security personnel carried out strict checks on all vehicles and people at a distance of about 500 meters from the Poipet crossing, and only those holding Cambodian documents and relevant personnel were allowed access to the area.

"I have been in Thailand for about three to four years, working in a factory. Now the situation at the border is not good, so I want to go back to my hometown," said one of the stranded Cambodian nationals.

Another more than 20 Cambodian nationals failed to go home through the Poipet border crossing on Saturday, and were later picked up by a kind-hearted Thai local, who said that many groups of Cambodians had tried to cross the border every day but failed recently.

"They have no place to sleep, and they would be bitten by mosquitoes if sleeping outdoors, so I want to take them to my place. They just can't go through this checkpoint," said the local.

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said at a press conference Saturday that 6,000 to 7,000 Thai nationals were stranded on the Cambodian side of the Poipet border checkpoint.

Closure of Poipet border crossing leaves many stranded amid clashes