Chinese companies win bids to explore five Iraqi oil and gas fields in a licensing round to boost domestic gas production.

Chinese companies won bids to explore five Iraqi oil and gas fields in a licensing round aimed at ramping up gas production for domestic use. The licensing round included 29 projects across central, southern and western Iraq, with an offshore exploration block in the country's Arab Gulf waters. Iraq aims to attract billions of dollars in investments to develop its oil and gas sector, cutting reliance on imports from Iran.