China, Taiwan, and Zambia....

The Zambian presidential elections are coming up on Sep. 28. The two leading candidates are Levy Mwanawasa and Michael Sata. You, of course, know who I would vote for right? ;) (Read below)

Oh, and Michael Sata was a former Health Minister who decided to build the regional public health clinics around Lusaka... including the one I'm working at now. [good move, good move.] In addition, while he was health minister, he was known to randomly disguise himself in plainclothes and visit hospitals/clinics around Lusaka and observe how long it took for seriously ill/injured patients to be attended to. After seeing the long waits, the neglect, and general inefficiency he one day fired all the nurses, doctors, and other workers he observed to be negligent.

The general atmosphere in the clinic where I work is of hope for Michael Sata. They think that once he's in power, there will be no more long lines.

And yes, I'm trying to do my part in cutting down long lines/inefficiency. I've been regularly bothering the clinic administrator about overloaded nurses, long waits, negligence, etc. It seems to be working.
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China intervenes in Zambian election

By John Reed, Southern Africa Correspondent

Published: September 5 2006 19:19 | Last updated: September 5 2006 19:19

The Chinese government has intervened in Zambia's upcoming presidential election in a forceful sign of the commodity-hungry country's growing economic and political clout in Africa.

Li Baodong, China's ambassador in Lusaka, said Beijing might cut diplomatic relations with Zambia if voters elected Michael Sata, an opposition candidate, as president, Zambian media reported on Tuesday.

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His remarks are the first sign of overt political interference by China in African affairs in decades, reflecting Beijing's rapidly expanding role as an investor on the continent and as a client for long-term supplies of raw materials. China is a leading investor in Zambian copper, the country's biggest export product by value.

China has invested billions of dollars in Africa in recent years, rivalling the US as it does so, and Chinese trade with the continent has quadrupled since the start of the decade, mainly through purchases of crude oil.

In Zambia alone Chinese companies are believed to have ploughed more than $300m into copper and other industries.

Mr Sata is challenging Levy Mwanawasa, the incumbent president, in the September 28 election. Mr Sata has been quoted calling Taiwan a "sovereign state," angering China, and has also spoken out against Chinese labour practices in Zambia. Recognition of Taiwan would mean turning away from the country's ties with Beijing.

Most African countries have thrown in their lot with China, leaving only a handful of governments maintaining official relations with Taiwan. Zambian media also reported that Mr Sata, currently running second to Mr Mwanawasa in opinion polls, had met Taiwanese businessmen.

The Times of Zambia on Tuesday quoted Mr Li saying Chinese investors were "scared" to come to Zambia because of Mr Sata's "unfortunate" remarks. If Mr Sata won and established relations with Taiwan, Beijing might think of cutting its relations, the newspaper reported.

"Chinese investors in mining, construction and tourism have put on hold further investments in Zambia until the uncertainty surrounding our bilateral relations with Zambia is cleared," the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail quoted Mr Li as saying.

In Zambia several mineworkers were shot and injured in July after a violent protest at Chinese-owned Chambishi Mining. There are conflicting reports on whether Chinese managers or Zambian police shot the workers.