inside Zimbabwe

11-20-17  Zimbabwe’s army chief General Chiwenga visited China a few days before he moved against Mugabe.  Presumably, nobody in Beijing told him ‘no.’  China has huge investments in Zimbabwe – including tobacco, diamonds, and power generation – and is by far the country’s largest benefactor.

And there’s been Chinese concern, indeed anger, over the last few years over enforcement of the ‘indigenization law’ – Mugabe’s brainchild requiring foreign companies operating in the country to have majority black Zimbabwean ownership. Chinese companies and interests stand to suffer....anything but an honest leader acting for the country’s longsuffering citizens’ benefit.  Zimbabwe typifies China’s approach to Africa.  The sheer scale and scope of Chinese investment and aid – both government and private – is rightly astonishing.  And Chinese will go places nobody else will.  But it all might lack staying power.

That’s because it’s largely based on throwing money around – and a lot of it.  The modus operandi is to buy off (literally) parts of the local ruling class while building stadiums, government buildings and the like – in exchange for insinuating Chinese companies into a country’s natural resources, land, infrastructure, and local industry and business.   http://www.atimes.com/article/coup-zimbabwe-win-win-china-now/

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https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/emmerson-mnangagwa-zimbabwe-new-president-democracy/2017/11/22/id/827714/
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Hornbrook area

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