China's Harsh Squeeze in Zambia's Copper Belt

(Lusaka) – A rhetorical U-turn by Zambia's new President Michael Sata recently brought at least some relief to Chinese investors rattled by strikes and his anti-China campaign speeches.

But Chinese companies in Sata's resource-rich country – including mining, power plant and construction concerns – remain seriously challenged in the face of Zambia's fluid business conditions, labor relations, public sentiment, and an awkward political environment.