Is China Moving Into Position To Take Over Iraq’s Key Oil Project From The West?

The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) is the key to unlock massive gains in oil output from Iraq. Consequently, control over the project is pivotal to gaining control over the country’s enormous oil and gas resources. It is little wonder, then, that the battle between firms from the West and the East for the principal development spot in the CSSP has been intense over the years. It began in earnest with the U.S.’s ExxonMobil taking the lead role, with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in a secondary position. When the…