Iraq has entered direct negotiations with a Chinese consortium for the combined Nassiriya refinery and oil field development project. PetroChina and the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), which have a large and well established presence in Iraq, are offering to build a $9 billion refinery, according to two senior Iraqi oil officials involved with the negotiations. The ministry has rejected that proposal as too costly. This content is for registered users. Please login to continue. If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription or sign up for a free trial .