Damien Ma reviews a new documentary that tells three stories of Chinese enterprise in Zambia:
[ Zambian Trade Minister Felix] Mutati's fondness for the "Chinese way" is perhaps a result of Zambia being the first African country to establish formal relations with China and the site of Africa's first Chinese special economic zone. But it is also an elliptical political jab at the "West" for a lot of thunder and little rain — that is, the Westerners show and tell, the Chinese do. Beneath the "win-win" slogans, however, lies an unarticulated uneasiness.
The Chinese way is not universally adored in Zambia, and the country has become publicly skeptical of China's role. Yet even as President Sata's anti-Chinese rhetoric made headlines, he heaped on praise for Mr. Li and his road. But as funding dries up, the road remains unfinished, much like the China-Africa story. It chugs along, driven by the accumulated efforts of the Lis and Lius building, investing, learning and punctuated by unavoidable politics.
The Dish 