On August 25, 1958, China and Iraq established diplomatic relations. Today, the two countries have weathered storms of 60 years. Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Masoum, on Saturday. Both sides have expressed the willingness to deepen their strategic partnership further and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

The past six decades have seen dramatic vicissitudes on the international landscape and disastrous changes on the Middle East land. Alike, Sino-Iraqi ties have undergone ups and downs in this course of history brimming with regional tensions.

The 1960s was just a start in their twists-and-turns relationship as Iraq went through several military coups and regional wars. In 1971, Iraq supported China's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations.

"The two countries also witnessed some twists and turns in bilateral relations, especially during the Gulf crisis in 1990, the Gulf war in 1991 and the Iraq war in 2003, which gave very disastrous impact on Iraqi people and its domestic construction," said Dong Manyuan, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.

China strongly opposed the 2003 Iraq War, denounced the US invasion and occupation, and called for a withdrawal of all alliance forces from the country.

Chinese firms quickly re-established relations with Iraq after the US invasion, and China became the biggest investor in the Iraqi oil and gas industry.

"Some Chinese oil companies are conducting its operation in south Iraq, which is a win-win result for both countries. Also, China supports Iraqi government to play a very pivotal role in the Belt and Road Initiative because Iraq was located in the center of ancient Silk Road,... also a very important strategic juncture, linking Asia and the Middle East."

Chinese companies have been investing in Iraq's construction, government services, and tourism, boosting funding for the country's development.

In December 2015, China and Iraq upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership.

According to Dong, this is "a very striking turning point in bilateral relations."

"Iraq still faces many challenges, the first challenge is how to recover the country from the ruin of Iraq war, and secondly, how to allocate resources to combat regional and international terrorism, especially after the rise of the ISIL in 2014... In these regards, China always offers its support to the Iraqi government to fight against regional terrorism, religious extremists and ethnical separatism," he added.

China now imports more than half of Iraq's oil, while Iraq – still suffering from violence in an unstable political environment – depends heavily on Chinese investment in the country.

The complementary economies mean that both parties benefit from their relationship, and they're likely to strengthen their cooperation in the future. Moreover, their 60-year bond is expected to see closer social and people-to-people exchanges.