America Fought the War. China Pumps the Oil.

For 20 years, the United States fought and paid for the war in Iraq — nearly $2 trillion and about 4,500 American lives, by the Watson Institute's count. Then the fighting wound down, America's oil majors pulled back, and a different power quietly moved in: China. In 2023, ExxonMobil sold its stake in the giant West Qurna-1 field to PetroChina. Today, Chinese state firms operate or co-own more than half of Iraq's oil production — Rumaila, Halfaya, West Qurna and Ahdab. And China is now Iraq's #1 customer, buying over a million barrels a day, roughly a third of everything Iraq exports. America paid in blood and treasure. China pumps the oil — without firing a shot. Follow Money Maps for more geopolitics, mapped. #Iraq #China #Oil #USA #IraqWar #Geopolitics #MiddleEast #Energy #PetroChina #MoneyMaps #Shorts