US wraps up military mission in Iraq, giving Baghdad room to strengthen China ties

The US has ended its military mission in Iraq, a move analysts said could give Baghdad more room for diversified partnerships and indirectly benefit China’s energy and commercial interests.But they cautioned that the shift was unlikely to create a power vacuum for Beijing to fill, with China lacking both the ambition and capacity to take on the US security role.The United States formally ended its Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq on September 30, completing a withdrawal agreed on in 2024 under the administration of former US president Joe Biden.The mission, launched in 2014 to fight Islamic State, has been replaced by an Iraqi-led security effort, while Washington has said it will continue targeted training and intelligence support.